


Preservation

by J-Bfan (Mysterie), JackfrostTruefrost300



Series: Mortal Guardians [9]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Chemicals, Cutting, Darkness, Experimentation, F/M, Immorality, Love, M/M, Multi, Older Jamie, Self Harm, Sex, Spirit Jamie, Torture, Unethical Experimentation, explicit slaughter, referenced cutting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-03-31 08:58:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 35,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3971887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/J-Bfan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackfrostTruefrost300/pseuds/JackfrostTruefrost300
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the longest of waits, Jack is finally getting married! What could possibly go wrong? Apparently a lot when one is a known winter spirit with a serious case of nerves! </p><p> </p><p>[9th installment] sequel to Metamorphosis</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dangerous Beauty

Jack nods in approval of the idea and at the fact that we all agreed.

"Perfect." Mysterie appears in the cave in a swirl of sand to look over the place; seeming as awed by the beauty around her as Jamie had first been. Jack leaps about the place, swinging through the trees on vines; he easily dodges a pit viper but he fails to notice a spider when he stops on one vine to look around. It crawls across his hand and bites him, Jack lets out a squeal of pain; Mysterie, who had been floating nearby moves over and picks the spider off his hand before shooing it away on a different vine.

"Now then... this was the reason I came here to do some planning. Don't need to be worrying about that the whole time." She says, scowling a little at the creature that bit Jack. Jack looks at her, the question sudden coming to mind.

"Was that spider by any chance poisonous?" He smiles a little at the new colors he suddenly begins seeing. Mysterie sighs.

"No, at least not in the sense of being deadly... although there might be some adverse affects of its poison... hallucination, dizziness, mild paralysis... that particular species paralyzes its prey with one bite and then eats it.

"Oooh, pretty colors... Ahh! Monkey!" Jack jumps away from her.

"Oooh, pretty pretty!" Jack laughs stupidly as he walks through the croc infested river, there is a whoosh, hiss, snap but they all miss Jack if only just. Mysterie sighs and sends her sand around him to yank him back from the river and to safety near her.

"Come here dearest, before you give some poor predator a sour stomach from trying to digest you." Jack laughs dumbly as he stares at her.

"Ooh pretty wavy hair..." He pulls on it in gentle curiosity.

"Why it no move like ocean?" He laughs and then he feels his limbs and body go slack. Jamie looks over at the pair of them in amusement.

"Can't you do something?" Mysterie chuckles.

"Sadly this is beyond me. I can heal wounds, but poison is not a wound. It will filter out of his body soon enough; as he's not human I wager we have only another twenty minutes or so of this before it fully wears off and his mind wonders what the heck he's done." Jack laughs.

"My body can't move!" He looks around, eyes glazed over.

"AAHH! DON'T LET THE GIANT BIRD GET ME!" He squeal like a toddler and Mysterie shakes her head, keeping him close though his sudden scream makes her wince but only because of the volume.

"Ah geez... um... what do we do until then?" Jamie asks.

 

 

"Not much to do." Jack squeals louder as what he thinks is a bird is actually a leaf.

"DON'T LET IT GET ME!" Mysterie looks at the leaf he's staring at and then tugs him away from said leaf.

"Geez... that is SOME hallucinogen..." Jamie comments as she tugs him back into the cave. Jack squeals loudly for no reason now except that he thinks he's trapped. Mysterie sighs.

"For pete's sake..." She gently influences Jack into a light sleep with a bit of her gold dream sand. Jack falls asleep in her arms and she carries him back to the hammock.

"How long do you think he'll sleep?"

"At least long enough that it will be out of his system when he wakes up again. In the meantime... let us scout the area out shall we?" She says as she settles him comfortably in the hammock.

"Of course." She walks off with Jamie to see the area while Jack dreams of flying solar system wolves. Mysterie loves the area, but takes notes on creatures and things that she sees that probably shouldn't be allowed within several miles of the wedding itself. Jack wakes up an hour later, groaning.

"What happened?" Jamie is sitting near the river with Mysterie when Jack wakes up.

"So then they were just hungry?"

"Yeah, natural thing for them. Anyway, now that we've fed them they won't come close to the water's edge for a while now. A few hours at least." Jack moans in pain, looking around he manages to miss the giant boa constrictor that is curled up on his stomach. Mysterie glances over, both her and Jamie laughing as Jamie walks over to Jack with a grin.

"I see Martha likes you." He picks up the serpent that is on Jack's stomach, the snake curls around his arms and shoulders instantly at his warmth. Like all reptiles, basking in the warmth that Jamie naturally gives off just as Mysterie does because the two of them are light spirits. Jack shivers, gasping.

"Keep your filthy reptile off me." 

"Now don't be mean Jack, she's not filthy." Jamie chides gently with a smile, stroking the serpent's eye ridges. Jack growls at the reptile

"You're what keeps itching me you evil serpent of death." The snake and Jack glare at each other, the snake then slithers from Jamie to try and wrap around Jack, trying to be cute.

"Awww no, no. Don't even think about it you dirty rotten viper." Jack says, untangling himself from the first part of the serpent and moving back.

"Come on now Jack... even though she doesn't like the cold she likes YOU... Just... um... chill why don't you?" Mysterie has to try hard not to laugh at Jamie's choice of words.

 

 

Jack growls, turning an angry shade of blue as he picks up the snake, takes it to a tree and ties it to the tree before flying off, grumbling.

"Dumb snake..." Jack feels jealousy and anger as he slams into a tree. Curious alarm comes across the bond from them both and Jack growls, rubbing his head from hitting the tree. All that his mind can think is that it will take Jamie's attention from him and Mysterie. He growls at that thought. Jamie shrugs at Mysterie and goes after Jack while she continues walking about the area in thought, apparently serpents weren't welcome either... Noticing Jack had tied the poor serpent to a tree she goes to help the thing out, untying it. Jack growls as he tries to find somewhere to hide and stay well away from the serpent and the other two. Jamie finds Jack, as much through the bond as through the sixth sense he's always had with Jack.

"Jack?" Jamie calls down, hovering above him by a good several feet. Jack hides in the leaves of a tree.

"Go back to your whore snake!" Jack yells back. Jamie winces a little, but tries not to let the barb get to him... Though there is a bit of a feeling of ridiculousness mixed with shock that Jack would ever suggest he would prefer the snake to Jack...

"Jack... she's just a friend I found while you were sleeping off the poison." Jack growls.

"Friend, yeah... she sure loved you." Jack growls, not finding anything ridiculous about this but he just has a natural hate for snakes for no reason.

"She's a  _reptile_ Jack... they're always attracted to warm things and... well... You should have seen the crocodile Mysterie was running from earlier because she was giving off too much heat... I swear the thing had to be as tall as me in length..." A tiny bit of humor threads through the bond as he shares the comical scene he'd witnessed of her backing from a crocodile... trying to reason with the overgrown reptile that she was  **not** its personal heater... Jack couldn't help but chuckle at that and sent the reason why he hates the snake... It was like the same one that had bit a child recently and tried to eat it.

"And from then on I've hated snakes entirely." 

"Well, there won't be any at the wedding... I'm sure she'll make sure of that Jack. I guess I can understand why you'd hate them... to be honest... I'm kind of afraid of ... mice for that reason." Jamie rubs the back of his neck a little, over the bond comes an image of himself when he had been twelve...

_It was some time after Jack had told him that he probably should clean his room to give his mother a break... Jack had left not long after to spread some more snow and leave Jamie to clean the room. He'd reached beneath the bed to drag out some of his things and dust when something bites him. He yanks his hand back with a yelp, a few drops of blood spilling and a mouse scurried out from where he'd accidentally cornered the thing._

Jack sighs.

"Probably should have helped you kill the mice." He says gently. Jamie chuckles a little as the memory fades.

"Jack... I didn't even know we HAD mice when it bit me." Jack chuckles.

"I'm loopy today. I think I got bit by another spider." Unknown to Mysterie it wasn't a spider, it was a dart and as Jack moved over to hug Jamie he fell limply in Jamie's arms. Alarm goes through Jamie as he notices the dart as he holds Jack close, looking around as suddenly a tribal men appear; he pulls the dart out of Jack... a second dart flies through the air towards Jamie but he burns it in the air and snarls.

"Come on out cowards!" He knows they are there though he can't properly see them, his anger flares hot and bright; sensing it, Mysterie appears nearby looking for the culprits... but not with her eyes... She can sense their intentions.

"You might as well come out! We know you're there!" She calls, but all that is heard is clicks and chants. A female voice calls out.

"Ice one destroy our village! Hurt many animals!"

"He is powerful, we must take him to chief as well as bringing in his friends!" Came some quiet whispers of fear. Mysterie sighs and then calls out in the language she's heard being chanted at them, growling out.

"Go back to your village with this warning to your chief. Do not meddle with us or our affairs or the ice that has hurt will be nothing in comparison to the wrath of the sun. Do not make me repeat myself either... and just so you get the point..." She holds out her hand, the forest before them bursts into flame as she scowls at them. All but one of the group lets out squeals and yells, running to their chief. She disperses the flames, glancing at Jamie to stay where he's at as she moves to confront the one who she's not sure if she is just brave or foolish for staying. Mysterie lands right in front of them, only a few steps away; raising an eyebrow, none of the plants that she set fire to are actually hurt as she had not allowed her flames to truly harm the vegetation. The flames had just been for show, but apparently this one wasn't quite convinced... Mysterie crosses her arms, staring down the one who had stayed without fear... it was the female who had spoken out.


	2. Wedding Plans

The woman glares at Mysterie with venom.

"You are not welcome to this land. Especially the ice monster he holds in his arms." There was fire in Mysterie's eyes, not because of the woman's brazen declaration... but because she obviously was obvious of what she owed the light spirit... Mysterie knew this woman. She hisses at her in anger, though Jamie can't hear what is said from where he is.

"Is this is how you repay those that help you? Tell me... you who were  **barren** until you made a wish for a child... Maybe you remember? That summer ago ... you cried out... I am the granter of wishes... I took pity on you!" Her sand whips up the image of the woman, kneeling before an idol. Praying reverently for a child though she had not been able to bear any during her life time and was about to be ousted from the tribe for it as a weak link.

"We are NOT here to disrupt your lives. I suggest you think before you act... I am not as  _benevolent_ as your "gods"..." Her eyes narrow at the woman as she stares her down with an icy anger. The woman returns the glare, ice and all...

"I suggest you stay away from our tribe." The woman growls, most of her hate aimed at Jack though when Jack's breathing becomes uneven and he coughs the woman groans.

"Oh great." She whips up the antidote to the poison. Mysterie takes the antidote, growling back.

"Don't threaten me woman... You won't like the results." She takes off, leaving the woman with a slight burn on her skin from her sand as a warning that she can and very well will carry out her threat. Nothing that wouldn't heal within a day or so though; Mysterie gives Jack the antidote to keep him from having any other bad reaction to the poison that had been in the dart. Jack sleeps soundly only to have hallucinated nightmares during his rest; they kept coming no matter how many times Jamie or Mysterie pushes them away. Mysterie ends up purifying the dreams altogether rather than just pushing them away. The rest of Jack's night was less than peaceful as he groans in pain as the poison's effects grow worse but even out by sun up; Jack wakes up, jumping from the hammock that Jamie had put him in and he vomits up the last of the poison. Mysterie is murmuring quietly with Jamie over what to do to keep the tribe at bay and out of their hair during the wedding when Jack gets up. Jamie glances over at Jack in mild concern.

"Feeling better?" Jack nods.

"Y-yeah..." He doesn't finish the rest of that sentence as he's forced to throw up more of his stomach. Jamie sighs a little, sending power to Jack so at least it wouldn't be too painful; he's still mildly angry at the tribe, though not quite as ticked as Mysterie is. Jack sighs, breathing heavily and shaking his head as he looks at the two with pained tears.

"I'm al-all good now." Jamie nods then glances at Mysterie.

"Yeah... but that tribe won't be if it comes within five miles of us again." Jack nods.

"Well... it's not their fault..." He says, sadness in his tone.

 

 

Jack looks away from both of them, he already knew the reason why they had wanted to capture him; a reason he didn't want them to know. Jamie sighs at the same time that Mysterie does.

"Yeah... well so many people need to learn to stop holding grudges. I mean... seriously... this world would be better off if people just let crap go. The past is the past... Yeah it may still hurt..." He says, still feeling the guilt of recent events...

"But that doesn't mean you should be violent against the reason for your hurt. I mean... if all the spirits that existed lived that way... there'd be no more humans." Mysterie nods with a sigh, she wasn't going to hold it against them as long as they didn't do it again. She was willing to let them be if they left the three of them alone. Jack nods, rolling on his side as he groans once more before relaxing on the ground.

"I think we should talk to the others about this, they might have some ideas to help." Mysterie says after a moment and Jamie nods.

"Not to mention Tooth looked like she was gonna go into hyper mode when Jack told her a date." Mysterie nods as Jack falls asleep, too tired for any of this as he turns and curls in on himself from a sudden stomach pain. Seeing that Jack is tired, though Mysterie is not too surprised at the pain considering that Jack hasn't eaten eating anything today yet; Jamie picks Jack up and the two return to the pole. Jamie settles Jack into the bed in his room while the two go get breakfast and talk to the Guardians... which consists only of North and Bunny, the other two having returned to their duties. Jack holds his stomach in pain as he wakes.

"Ouch." It's all he says to the agonizing pain. He'd had a peaceful slumber, but even so he still woke in horrible pain. When Jack wakes though Jamie is sitting next to him with a cup of something that is green but tastes like cinnamon sugar.

"Here, drink this. Bunny says it will help with the symptoms and it won't make you toss it back up." Jamie says gently. Jack looks at it, thinking about the time Bunny had lied... though he cautiously takes a sip before downing it. Jamie trusts that Bunny is telling the truth... at least the Pooka hadn't lied about the taste... Jamie had taken a sip himself just to make sure when he'd been out of Bunny's sight. The stuff was pretty good really... he hadn't asked Bunny what was in it... but fortunately this time the Pooka was right... In fact, it actually seems to settle Jack's stomach instead of making it worse. Jack sighs in contentment and smiles then blushing as he notices he only has pants on. He shakes his head, wondering how that had happened. Jamie just smiles a little and points to the hoodie hanging on the edge of the bed frame nearby.

"You were getting warm... so I remedied that and used some ice packs to help bring you back down. After that you slept so soundly I couldn't get it back on..." 

"Oh." Jack sighs at the coldness of the room.

"So what do you and Mysterie think of the place we're getting married at?"

"It's a great place Jack, we're just working out some bugs with the area. Mysterie is talking to Bunny and North about some spells to keep party crashers out of the area." Jack scratches behind his ear with one foot.

 

 

"Oh that sounds great." Jack smiles and thinks a moment. 

"We should have it all sorted out by the full moon though." Jack smiles.

"That's good."

"Before the wedding can we go to Japan?" He asks suddenly.

"Of course. Though I'm curious... why there?" Jamie tilts his head slightly to one side as he meets Jack's gaze, wondering what Jack would want there of all places.

"No reason, just to see what it's like there now." Jack stretches out before putting on his hoodie and grabbing his staff from where it was leaned up against the wall.

"Also to meet Kikio, he and I are good friends."

"Alright. Well, I think Mysterie is going to be busy a while with the planning. I'll go with you though." Jamie smiles a little and Jack takes his hand.

"Let's go to Japan." He laughs and pulls Jamie along the south and west winds once they were out the window. Jamie lets Jack pull him along the southern winds though they seem a little grumpy at having Jack along the south wind doesn't cause any trouble. Jack lands the two of them in the middle and heart of Japan, wondering if oni-san is here. He smiles as he looks around for the demon of luck, before Jamie can recover Jack pulls him into an anime store with all kinds of merchandise, some in particular of the Guardians and Jack chuckles at one that is supposed to be Jamie. He picks it up and in a stupid squeaky voice says.

"Hi der. I'm Jamie. I learn about pupating people when I don't feel like listening to them." Jack laughs at the hilarity of the tiny Jamie figures and leaves money for the figure if only to tease Jamie with it.

"H-hey! That's not funny Jack!" Jamie calls, flushing a little at the fact that Jack even bought the ridiculous thing... Jack laughs.

"What, you don't like meh?" Jack says in the funny voice as he sticks the figure in Jamie's face. Jamie just kinda stares at the little figurine with embarrassment tinged with a tiny bit of anger and shame, seeing as how the teasing had recalled memories he'd just as soon forget. Though he has to admit it was a little ridiculous looking in terms of him as the Japanese have a funny way of making everything styled more after them so the tiny figure didn't really look  _that_ much like him... Jack laughs and sticks the figure in his pocket for later.  _Blackmail..._ Jack snickers before pulling Jamie through various vendors, smiling as he pays for comics and other items to not be mentioned until the two of them were alone... Jamie, despite his embarrassment, couldn't help but smile. After all... it is good to see Jack happy. Especially after the recent events; Jamie relaxes, though every time he thinks about a few of the things Jack had shamelessly bought he flushes a little and just thanks MiM that not everyone can see them... Especially a lot of people in Japan who had all the wrong idea in terms of belief of him and Jack, not to mention the others...


	3. Nymphs of Japan

Jack smiles until he sees the tell tale sign of a blue haired demon that he had mentioned before.

"ONI-SAN!" Jack waves and runs towards him, the demon turns, he looks like any teenager except with a long, thin blue tail, pale skin and eyes that are so black that they look like they can stare straight into the soul.

"Oh hey Jack-san. How are you?" Jack smiles.

"I'm good, how are you?" Jamie follows Jack, curious as to this new spirit Jack is calling to. He'd mentioned someone named Kikio right? Was this them?

"Hey Jack, is this that friend you were telling me about?" Jamie asks, thinking that the others' eyes are a little unsettling, but other than that there isn't anything wrong with his appearance... well, besides being that of what Jamie has come to expect from Japan... and that is just a little on the strange side in and of itself. Jack smiles.

"Kikio meet Jamie, Jamie, Kikio." Jack leans on a bench besides the other spirit and Kikio turns and looks at Jamie up and down.

"Oh the nymphs take him soon, they love pretty boys such as yourself and Jack here almost got caught last year; almost became slave to queen." He says while laughing. Jack sweat drops.

"ONI! YOU SAID YOU WOULND'T TELL!" Jamie looks at Kikio in embarrassment.

"Ah... well something tells me that won't be so easy... I mean... I might not be much... but if you've heard rumors about  **her**... Well... she's definitely not one to mess with.... Even I wouldn't want to be on her bad side when she really gets going..." Jamie looks a little sheepish, though he's talking about Mysterie; he remembers too well how she had managed to turn the tide of what would have otherwise been a hopeless battle all because of her determination to make sure that Jack was safe... Jack blushes and flies off.

"Oh he embarrassed." Kikio says with a grin and calls out.

"I DOUBT SHE CATCH YOU AGAIN JACK-SAN! NOT WITH WARRIOR JAMIE!" He says jokingly before turning back to Jamie.

"Oh, looks like my shift. See you later and enjoy Japan." Unbeknownst to either, they were being watched by the assassin nymphs, one who wore a ninja mask, blending in with a cosplay crowd, spoke into a mic.

"Ni-san... I have spotted our bounty. Strike now or later?" Another voice answers in her ear.

"Later, make them lose their guard then strike without mercy. Bring the ice one to me."

"Hai." 

 

 

Jamie looks around, he feels like they're being watched... but he doesn't see anyone. Still... he sends over the bond to Mysterie.

 _"We're in Japan at the moment... I have a bad feeling all of the sudden... keep in touch..."_ Mysterie pauses in what she was saying to North who looks at her funny.

"Sorry North... Jamie had something to tell me."

"Iz alright. Still getting used to bond you have with both." Mysterie nods.

"Anyway, you were saying about that spell that would help us keep out all but who we select?" As North continues about what he was suggesting for spells for the wedding, Jack flies about in anger and embarrassment.  _Stupid_ _oni! It's not like I let them catch me... and their leader is trying to keep me as her husband/slave!_ Jamie sighs as he waves by to his new friend and goes after Jack, wondering at the embarrassment... Why would this so called nymph even want Jack anyway?  _Okay... that's a stupid question... Who WOULDN'T want Jack..._ Jamie sighs, did he really need to fight 90 percent of the world over Jack? Well... it is worth it... Oh so VERY worth it... Jamie grins a little even as he flushes as the memories of their alone times together flashes in his mind... some of which are innocently enjoyable and others are just not for the public mind... Jack sits on a high rock in a park; it's empty of people mostly because of the fair going on elsewhere in the city. Jack sighs only to hear a twig snap and he turns, his ears pricking at the sound only to dodge a dart.

"Alright who's out there?!" He growls, but there is no answer, only ninja stars in return and he dodges them but winces as one slices his arm.

"You don't remember us Jack-san? I thought you would." A voice answers quietly and Jack gasps.

"Elana.. oh no..." He didn't get a chance to so much as twitch before a rag was forced over his mouth and he struggles a moment before going limp in the spirit's arms. She smiles.

"We have him. Prepare for drop off."

"Not so fast ladies... I believe you forgot about me." Jamie says as he floats before the nymph, arms crossed even as he sends out a warning to Mysterie of trouble. The two nymphs before him smile.

"Ooh he'll do nicely." Before Jamie can react he's konked on the head with the butt of a katana from behind. They laugh as they use the same trick they had on Jack. At the pole, alarm rings through Mysterie when she feels a moment of pain across the bond from Jamie only for it to wink out; she  holds up a hand to stop North mid-sentence.

"Vhat now?"

"Apparently there's trouble in Japan. We can discuss this later after I've kicked some asses." She all but growls as she disappears into sand and slithers like a snake across the air but at speeds that are enough to produce light... making her look like a comet in the sky.

 

 

The nymphs pick up both Jack and Jamie.

"Mission success." The two jump, scaling walls and other obstacles on their way to an underground hideout. In the underground area were women of all types and men were held up in cages like birds.

"We brought the one you desired." The one holding Jack says.

"And we brought an extra." A second says as she puts Jamie down.

"Hmmm, good, he'll be useful for the others' entertainment. They fit a collar to Jamie and chains to dull his powers as Mysterie races through the streets of China; some of the folks stop to stare, murmuring to themselves about what they have just seen as she races towards Japan. Two other ladies take Jamie to the other room, putting him in the cage for the moment while Jack wakes with a groan. He doesn't realize what has happened at all.

"W-what happened... w-where am I?" Jack is answered with a giggle.

"Home, Jack-san." His mind screeches to a halt.  _No.... not her..._ Jack immediately tries to stand only to be pulled down by chains made of the finest gold and gems; he also realizes he's half naked and there is a gold collar on his neck. He looks at the black haired nymph who has royal blue eyes, a white kimono and skin as fair white as snow. Jamie groans as he wakes with a massive headache.

"Where am I...?" He is answered with giggles and hoots.

"Hello cutie." A nymph nearby says as she pets Jamie's hair. Jamie jerks away from the touch with a scowl.

"Hands off!" In the other room, Jack is fighting against the chains that hold him.

"Please let me and Jamie go!" The woman sighs.

"I'm sorry Jack-san, but no. You have been a naughty boy, you need to learn where your place is, with me." She says as she snaps her fingers and two beautiful girls in kimonos hold his head as Jack struggles.

"Wait! What are you doing?! Stop!" One of the women brings out a ball and shoves it in his face.

"Charm, charm him. Believe he loves me for his is mine, forever mine." Purple mist surrounds the ball and Jack struggles only for his eyes to become as purple as the mist as the charm takes hold.


	4. Darkness of the Light

As the charm takes effect Jamie lets out a scream of pure rage.

"You bitches will pay!" The nymphs around Jamie giggle and he is electrocuted even as Jack stops struggling and the girls let him go.

"Now, who did you love Jack-san?" Jack doesn't hesitate, the mist working.

"You Sokio." His eyes are now purple from the power she has over him, he ignores Jamie's cries of anger only listening and sitting in Sokio's lap as she threads her fingers through his hair.

"I love you too Jack-san." Jamie screams in a mix of pain and anger from the next room, but he doesn't bend... He knows what they don't... Mysterie is on her way and he's right, as her silver sand slips into the hideout due to Jamie's broadcasting the location over the bond. She appears in front of Jack and the nymph court. Her eyes are tinged red.

"Well, well... Look who thinks she's all that..." Sokio chuckles as Jack looks at Mysterie unseeingly.

"There is no need to fight as you can see, Jack-san only loves me." She points to Jack as Jack only stares at her in love, but it is because he is forced to. The laugh that comes from Mysterie is dark.

"You don't know what love is. Besides... charms like that are illegal and there's no rule in the code of a Guardian against doing to you what I'm about to..." Sokio smiles, before Mysterie can think to hit her, Jack jumps in front, icy thorns rising up, leaves of ice and sharp objects of all types point at her; Jack has no control over his actions and he breathes heavily, trying to fight the charm... he didn't want to do this... not again... Mysterie doesn't even flinch.

"Isn't that nice... a powerful charm to be sure... but you know I am a Light spirit. Do you really think you can escape?" Her voice puts darkly as light that is all around them attacks without Mysterie even moving an inch. The light stabs at their eyes, blinding them slowly and even closing their eyes against it doesn't save them. Mysterie merely smiles as their screams fill the air. Jack breathes heavily, pain hitting him at the screams and he slams ice thorns into her, for fear... and no reason ... no control... All the elements slam into her and Jack feels tears entering his eyes as the purple bleeds away and the blue returns. The figure before Jack bursts and dark laughter fills the air.

"You seriously didn't think I wouldn't know you'd try to use him against me did you? You don't know who you're dealing with... you will soon enough and you'll beg for death by the time I am done... Maybe I will take pity on you... maybe not." Jack groans, squeezing his eyes shut as he locates her through the bond and goes over to her, hugging her close.

"Please calm down... please... no more..." He cries.

"No more..." He slips to the ground, crying as he is now splattered with some of the blood from those around him who had tried in vain to rub their eyes only to fling blood on him. Mysterie frowns a little at him as she looks around in thought at the chaos.

"Tell me... can you hear over your own screams the one who would grant you mercy?" She calls to the nymphs who are crying tears of blood, blinded by the light; she waits to see if they will reply, there is no mercy in her red eyes.

 

 

Jack pulls on her hand.

"Stop... please stop! They've had enough! Please!" Jack cries but she ignores him as the light that was blinding the nymphs has stopped now that they are blind; she still waits for an answer from any of them as they stumble around the room. Jack grabs her hand tightly, pulling in attempt to get her attention.

"P-please stop." Jack cries hard from the pain he knows they are in.

"PLEASE! THEY'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Jamie just shudders from the cage in the other room as the nymphs around him cry blood as well and because he knows from the bond what she has in mind for these spirits and this is just the beginning....

"PLEASE! PLEASE MYSTERIE DON'T!" He pulls and pulls as she advances towards the nearest spirit to see if the other will answer.

"PLEASE!" She stops and gently puts a hand on Jack's head but says nothing. Jamie whispers over the bond.

 _"T-they sealed their own fate..."_ Jack gasps.

"P-please no..." He feels tears pour from his eyes, he never wanted these people or spirits to be murdered for touching him... they really hadn't meant any harm.

"PLEASE!" Jack grabs her arm again.

"Please! They didn't mean anything by it... please... please." He repeats over and over, tears falling hard down his face. He doesn't want to see anymore blood shed. Her sand swirls around each of the nymphs who disappear one by one along with those who were aiding them... the sand a mix of silver and black. In good conscience, she should not leave them there. What she had planned would and could wait... Jack breathes in relief but then gulps in fear of where they are now. He hugs her close, wanting her to know how much he loves her and that there was no need to cause blood shed even though he is covered in blood. He shakes in fear and horror of what has happened, the men in cages are freed and unshackled by her sand and sent on their way to a better life; never to remember anything of the day they were freed other than knowing that they had been. Jack's once white silver hair is splattered red and brown, the rust color of blood that is starting to dry. Mysterie doesn't reach for Jack, but silver sand cleans him up and deals with his collar and chains even as she moves to the next room where Jamie is to deal with his shackles and cage. Jack sniffles, shaking from what he had just witnessed... the cruelty that had come from someone he loves.... He knew now that it's one of the reasons that Mysterie had said Shadow and her own darkness was so... Had she killed them? He hadn't seen her actually do it, but that didn't mean... and what about the humans in the cages? Jamie shakes, muttering a quiet thanks when Mysterie opens his cage and removes his shackles, but like with Jack she doesn't touch him and he moves out on his own; there is an air of malevolence that swirls in her sand as she calls it back to her, her eyes only a faint red as she looks around... the three of them are now the only ones left in this place. Jack shudders, worry evident in him as he takes off from the place in fear; he is afraid of her now and he doesn't know why... but he is. He knew she could sense his emotions, that he is scared, worried and hurt. 

 

 

Mysterie flinches, knowing that Jack is scared of her... She shudders and looks at Jamie, saying softly.

"Please... fulfill your promise Jamie..." He nods and goes after Jack after Mysterie hands him Jack's hoodie and his own shirt. Jack is hiding now, crying slightly over the fact that he is now afraid of Mysterie, but he is as he tries to reason it all out and can't...

"How can she do that... how?" He says, fear in his voice and he is shaking from that fear. Jamie locates Jack and moves over to him, murmuring quietly in answer to his question.

"She does it because she has to... Jack... When you were gone those weeks... When I was suffering... she helped me. She took part of the darkness from me, she became what I couldn't be... to punish those who needed it when I couldn't... This is why she's refused so long to take the Oath." He lightly puts a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"She carries the burden of the world that many cannot... I can't begin to explain or hope to understand how she does it... I just know she does." Jack sniffles.

"I-i don't understand... I just don't." Jack takes off again, severing the bond between him, Jamie and Mysterie. All he wants is some alone time now. Jamie winces... hurt that Jack would withdraw like this... but at the same time he remembers that Jack didn't give up on him... and he promised didn't he? He goes after Jack again, even if all he can do is return Jack's hoodie... it would be something... wouldn't it? Mysterie heads off from the empty hideout to go deep into the jungles of the Amazon where the nymphs are now, trembling in cages of sand. Her fury knows no bounds as she moves from one to the next; going through various torture techniques she had learned from Shadow and from other places before killing the nymphs. Each one had different limitations before they began begging for her to just kill them... the first she had cut off digits one by one until she had broke, another had been slowly skinned alive... yet another didn't budge until she'd had sand shoved into the wounds Mysterie had inflicted on her limbs. One had even broken before Mysterie had entered the cage, broken by the sound of the pained cries of her "sisters" ... None of the nymphs had lasted more than a few minutes at most; as soon as they cry for their death though Mysterie gives them that mercy.... ending their pathetic lives. With the last one dead she turns her attention to the queen who is quivering in her own cage...

Jack is quick to fly away from Jamie and head out of Japan towards Germany. May he'd feel better if he made snow... He feels tears slip, his body hurts from all but slicing the connection to Mysterie and Jamie. He falls to the ground, he is a sad excuse for a spirit in his own mind as he nearly immediately renews the bond as he hits the ground. Jack hugs his body as he feels the happy blood lust on Mysterie's end... He couldn't sever the bond because Jackson wouldn't let him.

"Jack... this isn't the way... please see reason." Jack shakes his head at Jackson's words.

"No... please... I don't want to feel those emotions ever!" Jack again tries slicing it but Jackson takes control.

"I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm sorry but for you and Mysterie and Jamie's sake... I think it's time you took a nap for a bit huh?" Jack shakes his head.

"NO ... NOOOO! PLEASE! PLEASE!" 


	5. The Promise of Belief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own "Monster" by Skillet

Jamie says nothing the whole time that he follows Jack like a shadow. It burns in his chest... the pain of having been shut out... Mysterie, on the other hand, is so intent on her work that she doesn't even flinch at the feeling of the bond being severed and then renewed. She's not really even broadcasting anything over the bond consciously. In the end, when Sokio begs for death she can't even speak anymore because Mysterie has taken the ability from her by force...

"You know... I warned you... In fact... I gave you ample warning the first time we met, Nyphina Sokio. Do you remember? You were after a teenager then... a young boy who you wanted for your very own and yet I interfered... Do you remember?" Her eyes full of tears, she nods mutely.

_Before a young boy who cowered in a dark alleyway Mysterie stood between him and a nymph in a white kimono surrounded by others who wore ninja masks._

_"And who are YOU to interfere?" Mysterie looks at the nymph with a cold stare._

_"No one, and yet I am the one who was chosen to guard the humans. Who has seen the fires of hell that I may have the eyes to see those who deserve judgement... I am my own name... Mysterie. Do not forget it. Leave this mortal be."_

_"Heh... fair enough. He isn't worth the trouble anyway."_

_"Let this be a warning to you. Do not meddle again this way. Mortal or not... I will not stand for it and I will see you pay for your crimes if you cross that line again. I will not forgive your past transgressions. You will wish you had never heard of me."_

_"An idle threat."_

_"You jest... but I do not. You won't like the dark side of me that I hold back." She scoffs at Mysterie and leaves with her_ _entourage._

"I told you, I do not make idle threats... You should have listened." Sokio whimpers as Mysterie drives the point of her sand blade home, ending the torture and the spirit's life. She watches as the body falls lifeless before her, there is no pity in her and she is stained with their blood. She lets the blade dissipate, leaving the bodies where they have fallen and traces of silver sand to serve as a warning to other spirits that she will not tolerate such. She then goes off to a waterfall, no where near where she had been earlier with Jamie and Jack, and begins to wash herself of the blood. As Jamie moves towards Jack's location, Jackson manages to get Jack to sleep and fixes the bond to Jamie.

"Jamie, Jack's in Germany. He's pretty broken up and I don't want him to try and kill himself again... he's tried so many times..." There is sadness in his tone. Jamie nods to him over the bond, catching up to Jack. Jamie murmurs quietly to Jackson once he arrives.

"I promised I wouldn't leave him alone... even if he pushes me away... I won't let him try that. I don't think he will though... He's too scared of her at the moment and he's scared of being scared of her. Of something he doesn't understand... something I might be able to help him with... Though in truth... I don't fully understand her myself." Jackson gives him a nod of approval as he keeps Jack under long enough for the light spirit to pick him up and replies back.

 

 

"He was about to form ice and stab himself. Thank God I took control. Jamie... he was gonna cut his throat... I wouldn't have been able to stop him if I hadn't taken control." Jack begins to fight to wake up but Jackson forces his mind to sleep.

"It's okay Jack, it's just Jamie; he's here for you and so am I... even if you don't want me to, but you have to calm down or else I'll have to put you under longer and trust me... you don't want that." Jamie winces, knowing he would have felt the cut as much as Jackson would have... but not quite as close. Jamie slips the hoodie back on Jack and picks him up. He then flies off to the ice cavern home, holding Jack tight; he wasn't going to let Jack go... even if Jack had cut the bond with Mysterie and him. Fortunately Jackson had mended part of it... but what about... ? Mysterie didn't even attempt to fix her end of the bond, she simply sits on a rock near the waterfall; staring into her distorted reflection as the water is not quite still enough to reflect her back perfectly. Not that she cares... she's simply too numb at the moment... She had taken her anger out on the queen... Not just for what she had done or meant to... but because she had forced Mysterie to reveal the darkness of her heart. A darkness that has always been there... and she had forced her to do it in front of Jack... She wants so badly to cry, but she is too numb to cry; too numb from the pain knowing that Jack is afraid of her... She cannot help but be reminded of something she once heard in passing.

_I feel it deep within,_

_It's just beneath the skin_

_I must confess that I feel like a monster_

_I hate what I've become_

_The nightmare's just begun_

_I must confess that I feel like a monster_

 

_I feel it deep within,_

_It's just beneath the skin_

_I must confess that I feel like a monster_

_I, I feel like a monster_

_I, I feel like a monster_

 

Jack struggles in Jamie's arms a little but Jackson keeps Jack from being at full strength; Jack can't even lift a finger now, he just looks like a broken boy who has lost everything... and he has... or feels he has... He lost Mysterie... He tries mending the bond to her, but he is too afraid of her to do it. Jamie settles on the bed of the room he had claimed for himself, ignoring the silvery white sheets with gold lining; not bothering with them as he holds Jack in his arms, whispering softly near his ear as he holds Jack against him.

"Rest for a while Jack... I promise I will help you to understand to the best of my ability... I promise it's okay..." Jack feels tears as he shakes and buries his head into Jamie's chest.

"It's all so confusing... I-i don't understand!" He cries, soaking Jamie's shirt and frosting it. He tries again to pull away and take off again, but Jackson keeps Jack in Jamie's arms.

 

 

"P-please... I don't understand... let me go!" Jamie gently wipes away Jack's tears.

"I can't do that Jack. I said I'd help you understand. I am going to keep that promise." Jack breaths in.

"I don't deserve it Jamie." Jack only feels sad for what he knows Jack is thinking and says over the bond.

"Bind his arms... I can't hold back his strength forever... or at least hold him tight for what I can hear from his deep thoughts... it's really bad." Jamie gently holds Jack in a way that keeps him from forming any ice without accidentally hurting him in the process.

"Jack. Stop this before you do something you regret." Jack shakes, his whole body shakes.

"I...." He can't manage a whole sentence as he feels something that he hasn't felt in a long time return...

"No... not him..." He struggles against Jamie but falls limply as Jackson takes his energy once more... but he's becoming as tired as Jack. Jack shakes, fear entering him as he remembers the voice and how it had controlled him... 

"Jack... calm down please..." Jamie murmurs as he just holds Jack tighter, there is no fear from him, only loving concern. Jack feels exhausted, he is losing the battle as he fights to stay awake in any way... to stay awake... Jackson is down for the count. Jamie nuzzles, any darkness that comes will have him to deal with... which is why Mysterie is staying as far away from the two of them as she could. Jack fights his sleepiness, but it is a losing battle at this point.

"N.. no I don't want t-t-to sleep..." He says drowsily.

"Rest easy Jack... I promise to protect you." Jamie murmurs softly. Jack fights it one more time before he is tipped to the edge and falls into a deep sleep, so deep that even if someone were to clap loudly he wouldn't wake up at all. Jamie gently threads his fingers through Jack's hair, guarding his dreams and making sure that they are nothing but good if he does dream at all. Jack doesn't dream, but what comes to his mind as a dream is a quick memory of a nightmare... the nightmare of how he had abandoned Mysterie and it slowly turned into the memory of how evil Jack could have been... He wakes up in a sweat, but calm; slightly shaking, a bit shakier than a chihuahua. Jamie holds Jack close, in guarding his dreams he'd seen the memory and it made him feel sad for Jack; he's there when Jack awakes, holding Jack close and safe in his arms.

"Jack?" Jack looks at him, eyes bloodshot and tears falling as he clenches onto Jamie.

"Make it stop... it hurts, make it stop." He shakes his head side to side, repeating it. Jamie gently wipes away Jack's tears, soothing his pain with his power even as he speaks gently.

"Jack... what is causing this?" Jack shakes his head, afraid to answer; he freezes up instantly.

"I-i can't t-tell y-you Jamie... he doesn't want me to." Jack yelps in pain as he feels a burn inside him, burning his whole body for even saying that.

"Well... he has me to deal with now. I will not be too nice to him if he doesn't let you talk." Jamie's light slides into Jack, slamming against that darkness; a warning this time... even as it soothes away Jack's pain.

"You shouldn't fear speaking about this, or anything with me." His hold tightens and gentle love flows along the bond with a feeling of support.


	6. Fear

Jack gasps real air for once, he holds onto Jamie, his hands shaking even as they clench into Jamie's shirt; nails digging in.

"I-i'm sorry..." It's all Jack can say as he all but buries himself in Jamie's chest, breathing hard, trying to stop crying so that he can tell him. Jamie's voice is soft.

"Take your time Jack. I have nothing but." Jack sniffles, able to speak after a moment.

"The memory was recent Jamie, it was a future vision that almost came true... but it's burned into my mind and the other w-was..." Jack broke down again.

"I didn't help her... I don't deserve her!" Jamie gently strokes Jack's scalp, Jackson might not be able to fight it any longer... but Jamie would keep HIM at bay... He'd learned a lot really from the dark spirit who had held him captive, though he wouldn't say so... he would turn darkness in on itself if need be, but for the moment he is more focused on helping Jack to tell him what Jack wanted to say; brushing away each of Jack's tears.

"I-i couldn't stop the boys from raping Mysterie, Jamie... but a man saved her... I betrayed her ... I didn't help her in time, I was useless..."

"Then... what I saw was... a memory?" Jamie asks gently, his touch nothing short of gentle. There is no anger in him or any negative emotions at all and any dark thoughts he may have are tucked away for now, like the darkness that was in him. His love flows over Jack who nods and hugs Jamie close.

"I don't want it to happen... I don't...." Jack whimpers.

"Jack... how could that be a betrayal when you couldn't help her? I recognized that item they used... I've seen it before and it's a dangerous weapon against any spirit. You didn't even really know what it was did you? Oh Jack... you couldn't have helped her then, no matter what you may think. You didn't betray her, you were just helpless then. I don't think she could blame you for that. In fact, I know she wouldn't... as for the future... it's not set in stone. We make the future Jack." Jack struggles against the memory, closing his eyes as he tries to find peace, but he has none; his peace is gone and he is broken. Jack hugs Jamie close, not moving, just trying to find the peace he'd once had.

"I'm afraid though, Jamie... I'm afraid o-of her." Jack says with strain in his voice, tears in his eyes. Jamie holds Jack close, murmuring soothingly.

"Don't let the past destroy you Jack... You cannot change it, cannot help what has happened... but you can change the future because it hasn't been set in stone yet. We all decide the future... we decide what we do, how we live... We make our own choices. Just as she made hers." Jack nods and kisses Jamie who kisses him back.

"You looked like you needed that." He says with a small smile.

"H-how do I tell Mysterie how I feel now?" He asks, sadness in his tone.

 

 

Jamie gives him a small smile.

"How have you ever told her anything? Just be honest Jack. I'm sure she'll understand... she's... unique that way I suppose... It scares me a little though that I can't sense where she's at right now... I'm so used to it." Jack worries at that.

"This is all my fault." He says, falling back into depression but he holds onto Jamie for support by kissing him again; it pulls him from the blackness that is trying to take him over. Jamie returns the kiss, his love flowing through the bond and pushing away any darkness that tries to surface, when it ends he murmurs quietly.

"It's not you fault that she did what she did... that she continues. She made that decision when she was with me Jack. I don't know how she reconciles it... How she keeps it from taking control now because meditation can only do so much." Jack nods, nuzzling into Jamie's neck.

"I don't know if I can face her again, but I'll try." Jack sighs in contentment before pulling himself from Jamie's arms. He tries to stand, they shake a little and he wobbles some from disuse of his legs. Jamie watches Jack a moment before standing up next to him.

"Well, maybe not yet... but if I know her as I think I do... I imagine she is thinking that very same thing too. She made me promise to never tell you about that... and to be forced to show you like that... I imagine she couldn't have taken it too well. You might be scared... but I imagine she is too at this point." Jamie isn't wrong, Mysterie hugs her knees as she buries her head in her arms; the tears finally coming as she sits by the river. Jack sighs, shaking his head and landing back on the bed with a thump, as he is forced to sit as his legs give out on him for a bit.

"You should rest a bit more, I know you don't want to sleep and I didn't say you should, but I imagine the shock of things hasn't worn off yet. I'm going to get something to drink, do you want anything?" Jack whimpers slightly, he feels a bit guilty but tries the fire trick that Gary had taught him. Instead of blue flame though it's a black and purple one.

"Just water please." He replies, a bit fearful of the purple and black flames that grow with his fear. Jamie looks at the flame.

"Ummm.. you probably shouldn't summon that kind of fire... let alone feed it." He's not even sure how Jack manages it, but he knows about it. Jamie is concerned, not that Jack can summon it... but that he has... recalling what he's read about that sort of fire and how it can get out of hand very quickly if the user isn't proficient in controlling it... Which Jamie is sure that Jack isn't when he leaves the room; when he comes back he has two glasses, one water one orange juice. Jack tries to put it out, but it doesn't out out, instead it leaps on him, spreading fire on him.

"AHHHHHH!!!! Thanks!" Jack takes the glass of water and dumps it on himself, putting the black fire out. Jamie sips at the orange juice he got himself as he watches Jack dump the water on himself. In the meantime, Mysterie has dried her tears and now that she's clean from what she'd just done she pushes it from her mind as she leaves the Amazon behind to return to the North Pole. Jack shudders a little.

"That was nice, but unpleasant fire." 

"Well, Dark Fyre is that way Jack. It can be dangerous though to someone who doesn't know how to handle it." Jack's eyes go wide.

 

 

"Y-you mean I c-created Dark Fyre?" Jamie nods.

"That's what that fire was. Any fire wielder can make it. It's produced from negative energy and the element of fire, which is why it's dangerous." Jack looks at his hands, shaken.

"Why did I do that?" He looks at Jamie in fear.

"Calm down Jack. I imagine the intensity of your emotions caused you to produce the flame when you meant to only calm yourself. It's not a major thing as long as you are careful not to feed it without intent to use it. One time won't hurt you or cause problems. Just don't make it a habit." His tone is serious but at the same time gentle and reassuring. Jack nods and stretches, he's tired and weak, but guilt refuses to leave him alone, nipping at his heels. Jamie settles next to Jack, knowing that he has questions about what he saw and knowing that Jack needs rest and will ask when he's sure he's ready to hear the answers. Jack feels slightly better, but not entirely scar free from the incident. He turns to Jamie.

"W-why did eh-she do it Jamie? I pleaded with her to stop but... it was like ... it was like she wasn't even there." Jamie grimace slightly.

"In a way, she wasn't." His tone is gentle as he wraps his arms around Jack..

"She knew what she was doing. I imagine she has tangled with those particular nymphs before. She told me once that she was sick of all the evil in this world. That she would no longer let those who did not heed her warnings to change their ways to continue on as if they did not hear her. The day you came back she told me she was going to deal with all the evil of the world in one way... each she met would get a warning for each crime they commit. After that... she'd punish them according to the severity of their offense." Jack shakes his head.

"No, no... that's not her job to deal with though!" Jack struggles in Jamie's arms, tears in his eyes.

"That's not her path... I promised her!" Jamie sighs a little, lighting brushing away Jack's tears.

"It's what she's chosen to do. Just as I have." Jack shudders, burying his head in Jamie's chest.

"I promised! I promised! I can't and will not let her go down that path Jamie!" Jack struggles once more but finds it's no use as Jackson drained him until Jack fell asleep.

 _I thought it be better he rest.  _Jackson says over the bond.          

"For the best. I know from the memory he promised to be her guardian but... do you know what he means? Did he promise her something else?" Jackson's tone belays his nervousness.

 _Don't let Jack know I told you this, but he promised he would rid the world of_ _darkness. He's been doing it for a while now and it's why those nymphs and all kinds of spirits are after him. They want him for their own purposes Jamie and one by one he's been taking them down.  _Jackson gulps.

 _He's seen more blood than you can count..._  Jackson began whimpering as he is very afraid of the truth he had just told Jamie.

"That explains a lot. Me and her began the same thing just after I took the oath... It was her idea to team up. I gather she doesn't remember his promise or if she does she's doing this for reasons I am unaware of. Don't worry. If Jack finds out it won't be because I told him you told me. If anything... I will say she told me... considering she seems to know a lot she never talks about... not even when she confessed a great deal to me. There's always something I know she's not saying..." Jackson sent the warmth of trust over the bond and a quiet thank you while Jack groans in his sleep, memories of his past killings of spirits in his mind; Jackson uses almost all of his power to force them back.                                                                


	7. Mission

Jamie just smiles and adds his power to Jackson's to push back the memories from Jack's dreams. Jack's breath hitches a moment before his mind settles on a happy one of Jamie and Mysterie, good memories of his love for them both. Jamie sighs a little, but only in resignation of dealing with the results of this whole thing; he smiles a little at the sensation that tells him the dream is a good one. Jack all but grabs Jamie in his sleep and nibbles on his ear.

"Mr. Teddy I missed you." Jack murmurs. Jamie flushes at the nibbling, but he just hugs Jack back.  _This could be a looooong few hours...._ Jack awakes, having successfully all but drooled on Jamie in his sleep, he stretches his body; ignoring the fact he keeps saying things to "Mr. Teddy" and that he may say some things he shouldn't... Jamie figures he deserves a medal at this point. Watching Jack though he has dealt with the little "problem" that arose at one point by the time Jack is up. He smiles a little.

"You have some very interesting dreams Jack... maybe I should visit them more often." Jack nearly jumps out of his skin at that, he thought that Jamie was asleep and blushes furiously. Jamie just grins, content to get Jack back for the little "doll" he'd bought. Jack blushes more as he buries himself into the blankets to hide from Jamie.

"No NO!!" Jack groans in embarrassment. 

"You should have known I'd get you back for that figure." Jamie replies with a grin. Jack groans, hiding deeper under the covers.

"No no!" Jack jumps from the bed suddenly, blushing blue in embarrassment. Jamie grins for a moment before saying with a smirk.

"Oh don't worry. Me and Mr. Teddy won't tell anyone else." Jack sighs in regret for buying the doll.

"Look, I'm sorry..." He begins only to stare wide-eyed

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! WHY ME!!!" He screams in embarrassed agony that Jamie knows about that. Jamie smiles gently and moves over to Jack, wrapping his arms around him.

"I promise I won't tell Jack. You really don't need to be embarrassed though, after all, I kept that bunny from when I was a boy... How could I not when I thought of you every time I saw it?" Jack nods a little.

"Sorry I drooled on you." Jack sighs.

"Whatever happened to Hopper?" Jamie just looks thoughtful.

"I think Sophie has him now. I know she got most of my stuff after the funeral."  Jack sighs again, he feels a pain in his heart as he feels through the bond for Mysterie but gets nothing in return. His heart hurts at the mention of Jamie's death, though he knows that Jamie is right there; his heart still hurts and he feels a tear slip before he grips onto Jamie strongly, so he knows that Jamie is there. Jamie winces a little when he sense's Jack's search attempt followed by the pain. Jack sighs and Jamie holds him close as he murmurs quiet reassurances. Jack feels sadness stab at him next, his head hurting at the thought of the events of last night. Jamie gently threads his fingers through Jack's hair as he murmurs soothingly.

 

 

Jack shakes, trying to pull from Jamie; his heart half broken, as while he still loves Jamie he also loves Mysterie, and she knew Jack deep down while Jamie is only just beginning to know him as thoroughly. Jack feels tears fall.

"I'm not going to let her Jamie." He whispers. Jamie only nods, holding Jack close. There is suddenly a sense of hesitation in the bond and it's not from Jamie. Jack shivers, tears falling and clinking as they hit the floor frozen.

"I won't! I won't let her! Please let me go!" Jamie nuzzles against Jack but doesn't let go as a hesitant inquiry lightly trickles over the bond. Ever cautious of Jack's reaction... waiting for an answer. Jack breaths in, trying to stop crying, but it hurts... everything hurts. There is just a sense of waiting... of patience... Jack reaches out over the bond for Mysterie, finding it he isn't sure how to do anything.

"M.. Mysterie." He mumbles over the bond and aloud. A gentle embrace reaches out towards Jack over the bond hesitantly. Jack embraces it, all he wants is her; tears can be felt through the bond and a sense of sadness and self hate. The embrace wraps around Jack; soothing emotions flowing with it from both of them. Jack takes the embrace with tears and happiness, but also guilt as well. The guilt eats at him as the whole reason Jack had taken Jamie to Japan was to kill the assassins and dark spirits there. He hadn't counted on himself being captured again let alone Jamie... Jack sighs, staying in the bed with Jamie, unaware he is projecting the brutal killings that he's made in the past with the darkness. There is a bit of surprise that ripples along the bond followed quickly with sudden understanding. Jack turns on his side, not caring what is going on as he whines in anger at the last kill he'd failed at. Mysterie sends soothing emotion all with the impression that it wasn't a total loss and that they are dead. Jack groans in pain, there's a flash of a memory of the spirit tribe that Jack had killed before her, it kept flashing in his head even as he fights to get the memories of all the dead spirits out of his mind.

"P-please make it stop." Jack groans as it just keeps replaying over and over and over again. Jamie's power mingles with Mysterie's to push aside the memories and the darkness that comes with it. Jack moans in protest as something in him wants more of that blood-lust and latches onto the most brutal of his memories. Something inside Mysterie echoes that blood-lust, but rather than hindering her it only strengthens the shove she gives that particular memory, slamming it away with such force that had it been a physical object she would have sent it hurdling through space... Jack cries out as it is painful to him, he shakes with pain but settles down as the blood-lust drains out slowly, but it is still there. Jack whimpers slightly as the draining of the blood-lust hurt. Mysterie's light wraps around him with a softly whispered promise. "I will never abandon you to darkness my winter guardian..." Exhausted, her power slips from the bond, Jamie holds him close, the lack of distance not as straining on him as it was on her. Jack shakes a bit.

"Take me to her please Jamie. I n-need to see her." Jack whines in need for her. Jamie nods, shielding his eyes from the teleportation's bright flash of light. Mysterie is curled up in a circular chair in the pole's library, a forgotten book in her lap as the two of them arrive. Jack shivers slightly, not used to the teleporting still and he doesn't think he will be fore a while.

"M-mysterie..." He trails off as a feeling of deja vu comes to him, a number of feelings going through him; fear, guilt, worry, love, uncertainty, confusion and many others. Mysterie is silent as she meets his gaze, her own glistening a little from unshed tears. Jamie puts Jack down, releasing him once he's sure that Jack is steady on his feet. Mysterie feels a deep sense of guilt and pain from keeping this secret, but the "monster" in her is sleeping, the red tint that had taken her eyes when she had gone to free him is no where to be seen. Jack shakes with each step as he walks towards her slowly, but making it to her. He doesn't know what to do or say at all, but he embraces her and cries like a child who needs to be comforted.

"I-i'm sorry!" 

 

 

Mysterie gently holds him in her arms, reassuring him that he doesn't need to be sorry; that Jack has nothing to apologize for. Jack breathes heavily and deeply.

"I didn't see you Myster-Mysterie... a-all I s-saw was darkness and e-emptiness... you weren't y-you..." Jack cries harder, all but clutching onto her as he cries. She winces at that even as she holds him close, tears slipping down her own face though she closes her eyes, the tears still escape. Her voice shaky.

"I... I know..." Jack hugs her tight.

"P-please don't do this job... don't try to get rid of the darkness... it's bad enough I'm doing that!" Jack says in between sobs and starts hiccuping. After a moment both his tears and hiccuping stops as he eventually has nothing left and he drowsily lays on her, trying to stay awake. Mysterie gently threads her fingers through his hair, murmuring softly even as she continues to cry silently.

"Jack... this is what I'm good at. It's hard for me not to when I can hear every wish made by mortals. I've been fighting them since Manny brought me back." Jamie decides to find something else to do and leaves the two of them to talk. Jack fights the sleepiness.

"Y-you can't... mm I won' let you..." Jack says as he drifts off to sleep. She chuckles softly as she murmurs back just before Jack falls completely into sleep's embrace. 

"And just how were you planning on stopping me love?" Jack whimpers in his sleep before settling. She slips into his dream to continue the conversation, settling the dream into a beach side one.

"I... will stop y-you..." Jack tries to explain when he sees her.

"I wo-won't let you fight them."

"You won't hmmm? What are you going to do? Lock me in the castle or something?" She clearly finds this idea amusing. Jack growls.

"W-well I'm just going to kill all darkness before you then, that's my plan. When they attack I'll take care of it." Jack gives her a stern gaze, meaning that he will do it. She chuckles a little, pulling Jack down next to her in the sand.

"Well, you can try but I'm pretty sure it's not going to work that way." Jack growls again.

"I will and am." He looks away, his gaze glaring at the sunset. She shoves him down into the sand, shifting so that she's on top and meets his gaze.

"Jack Frost... is that a challenge?" There is a glint of playfulness in her eye though her tone is even. Jack glares up at her.

"Yes." He pushes her off him, not wanting to play as his mind is set on his mission.


	8. A Game

Water splashes over Jack and he shakes his hair at that as he steps back from the water. Mysterie shoves him back down, a dangerous glint in her eyes now; she wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

"Consider yourself warned then that I play to win... and I don't take prisoners..." She's half serious this time as she pins his wrists down so he can't push her off again; her gaze is now fiercely possessive a moment as she meets his before she shifts to brush her lips against his. Jack groans and struggles.

"I'm serious, get off!" He struggles to push her off.

"I'm not playing Mysterie." He turns his head to break the kiss and avoid another. 

"Life's a game Jack... it's just all in how you look at things." She whispers, this time there's a soft growl that rises in her throat as she nips at his throat since she couldn't reach his lips now. He groans and still tries to push her off even as he gasps at the growl.

"WELL THIS GAME'S NOT FUN!" He says, his voice reaching a few octaves higher as she grazes his jugular. She chuckles softly.

"Maybe because you don't know the rules..." She says softly as she nibbles lightly at his ears. Jack rolls like a turtle, throwing her off and he takes off into the sky; since it was her dream he makes a wall of sand to block her path and he smirks.

"Don't know any rules huh?" He laughs as he takes off. With a smirk she chases after him, easily dispersing the sand because... well... she commands sand on a daily basis. It wasn't going to even slow her.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you're going to get the upper hand!" She calls as she starts to catch up. Jack gasps and uses clouds to distract her as they cover her vision before he dives into the ocean deep under water. He laughs since he can breathe underwater. Dolphins surround him to keep her from him. Jack thinks he's safe... until one of the dolphins around him suddenly grabs his leg and starts hauling him off from the rest... It's only after a moment of shock does he realize that she's changed shape in the dream to blend with the dolphins to get past their defenses.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" He struggles, using the power of speech to dolphins to say clearly to them.

"MAMA! MAMA DOLPHIN! IMPOSTOR!" The dolphins all turn on her and slam into her as Mysterie is forced to let go and Jack begins to swim away. Mysterie morphs into a giant squid, easily tossing away the dolphins now without hurting them even while one tentacle wraps around Jack's middle and pulls him close... Once she has him securely she lets out a lot of ink and swims back to shore safely away from them with Jack in tow. Jack pounds on the tentacle, stabbing it even.

"LET ME GOOOOO!!!!"

 

 

Mysterie winces a little when he stabs the tentacle, but just wraps him with another as she becomes an octopus as she makes her way from the water onto dry land, this time she makes sure he can't move his arms. One tentacle brushing along one of his thighs by accident as she's using it to "walk" on the sand, her voice ringing in his head.

 _Nope... I got you now... I'm not letting you go for a while..._ Jack groans at the touch but still struggles.

"NO NOOO! I HAVE A MISSION!" Jack whines. He struggles more.

"P-PLEASE LET ME GO!" She chuckles in his mind.

 _Oh no... your mission can wait... I'm not done with you yet..._ This time two tentacles slide along his thighs on purpose. Jack groans.

"Stop." He struggles more, almost freeing himself. She shifts back to her normal form, pressing him to the sand as she nips at his neck, growling in delight as her hands slide along his thighs.

"Oh no... I simply couldn't do that in good conscious..." She murmurs seductively as she teases his thighs. Jack quivers slightly, trying to get himself to stop. He pushes and pulls his neck from her, hiding in his hoodie like a turtle. She ducks her head to nuzzle at the end of his hoodie, pressing his lips gently to that sensitive spot on his stomach since he's so determined to try and hide... Jack groans and curls up as his body shakes for more, but he hides in his hoodie. She holds him close, lightly nipping at what little skin she can manage to as she's not giving up on him. Jack shivers and groans, curling more tightly.

"S-stop, I'm not in the mood!" She shifts to remove the hoodie, since it's the only way she can actually get to his face before nipping at his nose, but that's all she does. Jack growls, fighting the temptation in all this; he shudders now that his skin's exposed to the air. She just holds him close now, not pushing further; she loves him too much to. Jack sighs in contentment before groaning.

"Great now I got a hard on." He looks at her with need now.

"I guess I could use that game now." He says, the lust threading into his tone. She chuckles a little and murmurs.

"As I said... life is a game... I just happen to enjoy this particular game within the game..." She gently nips at his lips. He smiles and kisses her back, groaning into the feel of her touch along his skin. A sound close to a purr rises in her throat as she skims her nails along his sides gently. Jack gasps, shaking in pleasure; he nips at her ear. She skims her nails up his sides and along his chest, lightly brushing her fingertips over his nipples as she shifts to nip at his neck, trembling from his nips. Jack gasps, shaking and moaning wantonly for more as he squirms under each graze, touch and skim of her nails and teeth. He groans as he feels the pleasure spike. She shudders from the sound of his gasps and moans. She trails her nips down his throat and along his collar bone, her nails grazing his nipples teasingly before skimming down his chest to his stomach. Jack whimpers in pleasure and squirms under her touch.

 

 

"M-mysterie..." He sucks in a breath as the pleasure spikes in every sense in his body. She growls in delight, shifting to skim her hands down his thighs again, this time though to rid him of his pants even as she trails nips along his collarbone. Jack gasps, mouth open in a silent moan, screaming as he is losing it; he grips onto her shoulders, nails digging in as he trembles as all of the sudden strong pleasure courses through him. She groans in her throat, shift to slip out of her own clothes, shuddering with desire as she nips at his collarbone again before shifting to slowly slip him inside of her; quivering. Jack gasps, panting heavily as he feels her walls clamp on his length. She presses her lips lovingly to his, groaning into the kiss as she shudders in pleasure; sheathing him deep inside. Jack groans and moans into the kiss as he thrusts up gently. She shudders, whimpering a little even as she shifts to pull back, slowly thrusting him back in; quivering from the pleasure that spikes through her. Jack thrusts up, slamming into that spot inside her that makes her see stars. He gasps, digging his nails into her as the pleasure spikes. She gasps out.

"Oh gods Jack..." Shuddering, she whimpers with pleasure as she draws back again, keeping the thrusts at a slow pace, teasing them both with it though it takes a good deal of willpower that she's losing rather quickly. Jack groans and moans loudly.

"God Mysterie... you're so good!" He says as he thrusts into that spot deeper each time. She shudders, her control snapping as he thrusts into that spot again; she groans as she picks up the pace of the thrusts, panting heavily as her body quivers from desire and pleasure. Jack gasp and groans, he is oh so close to release... He whimpers, feeling that his release is so close... She thrust him into her as fast as she can, gasping between browns; shuddering with the pleasure and the desire to give him that release. He gasps, screaming out as he is pushed over the edge and fills her up as he shakes and whimpers; he digs into her so deep that he draws blood that seeps down her arms. She cries out in a mix of pleasure and pain, the pleasure overriding the pain from Jack's nails though as she collapses against him as the climax washes over her in waves. She quivers, panting. Jack breathes heavily, not sure what to say for a moment.

"You win." Is all he says. She laughs a little.

"Only fair... you won the last time as I recall." She nuzzles against him gently, not taking any note of the dream pain or the silvery blood that drips down her arms. It slowly begins drying, after all her dream self isn't exactly who she is or all of her. Mostly just a copy, unlike when Jackson had actually transported her and Jamie into Jack's mind that one time... this version of her is only a part of her rather than the whole. Jack yawns and starts to awaken to the real world, but what follows him to the waking world isn't good. He awakes, eyes coal black as he looks at her. It's dark as he smirks.

"Perfect." She stirs slightly; Jamie notices something is different and pokes the bond from his end, poking at them both. Jack is gone, he had blocked Jamie momentarily as he finds the mission that he has promised. Jamie sends up the alarm to her and she sighs as she disperses into sand to find Jack... though not through the bond as Jack might suspect she might try. Growling, Jack finds the hideout of the tribe spirits that he had failed on fully killing in his first attempt; he was supposedly after their king who is cruel but now he lights the area on fire, keeping them from escaping. The children of the tribes village scream in fear as he savagely stabs and brutally rips apart any screaming tribes man or woman in his grasp. Mysterie tracks him down to the tribe, managing to save a few of the innocents that she singles out from the crowd; silver sand whisking them away to a safe haven though those who she can sense dark wishes from she doesn't bother with... Leaving Jack to deal with them while she sees to the trembling children who are left... One child looks at her in fear, she is cloaked in dark silver robes and none of her features can be seen.

"Remember the sins of those who are not with you, because your hearts are pure you have been spared. Know this, any being, be they spirit or mortal, will not be spared punishment for their crimes." She disperses into sand, leaving them to be watched over by a few spirits nearby whom she knew would take care of the children as she returns to Jack.


	9. Dark Powers

Jack growls savagely as he rips into the throat of the king, blood splattered all over the place, some were spared; others had ripped out guts and one had his intestines wrapped around his neck until he either had choked to death either on his own blood, suffocation or the loss of blood. Jack snarls at anything breathing or living. Mysterie crosses her arms as she watches the king finally die... leaving her now the only living thing that's sentient within several miles as any animal had long since fled. Jack looks around, sniffing at the air full of blood; chuckling demonically before a deep voice comes from his throat.

 **"My work here's done."** He flashes her a savage smile before Jack regains control, collapsing as he wasn't conscious for any of that. Mysterie moves to catch him, holding him close even as she murmurs.

"Maybe so... but my own is just beginning..." The voice only chuckles.

 **"Jack sure won't like you doing the job he promised he would do."** The words become demonic laughter before fading and Jack wakes, gasping for air; he's splattered with blood, his hands are oozing and dripping with it, as is his hair; blood is on his face and nearly everywhere else on him. She ignores the voice, gently brushing her fingers against Jack's cheek while her sand swirls around him, soaking up the blood before vanishing. She knows Jack doesn't like it, but that doesn't change anything, because the reason she was doing this was for him... that is part of the reason anyway. Jack gasps, eyes the size of dinner plates.

"W-what happened? What are you doing here?" He is worried about how much she has seen because that's what happens when he kills, he lets the darkness take control for that.

"I followed you of course." Her gaze meets his.

"I understand this a little too well. Although I wonder if he would." Jack shakes, pulling from her grasp. One thing going through his mind.  _She probably thinks I'm a monster and should be put down like some sick dog..._ The thoughts weren't really just his own, but the darkness trying to poison him into thinking it. He looks away from her, shaking like a leaf. She gently draws him back her; her voice soft.

"How is what you did here any different than what I do? If you're a monster... than so am I." Jack shudders.

"But I killed without reason this time..." He begins crying a little.

"I am a monster because I let it do more damage than usual." She holds him close, lightly threading her fingers through his hair.

"I know... this is why you should leave it to me... at least for a little while. Tame this darkness before you use it." His breath hitches and he shakes his head.

"It's so hard... it hurts so much and it's so hard..." He latches onto her.

 

 

She holds him close as she floats up with him close against her, the stars above twinkle like diamonds.

"It is hard... but once you learn to do it... it's not so bad. I will help you, if you let me. You are already part way there." Jack sniffles.

"That would be nice." He says, suddenly pain hits him.

"IT HURTS!" He crumples into her like a stack of cards.

"I imagine it does... there is always some pain in regression... Especially since your own nature is completely opposite." She murmurs softly as she takes the two of them back to the pole where Jamie is waiting, reassuring him over the bond so that he doesn't get too concerned. Jack groans and whines, it feels like his stomach was stabbed through. Mysterie settles Jack back on the bed in his room, she sends a bit of light through him to help push some remnants back where they belong and lessen some of the pain.

"I know it's bad now... my first times... I swore I was going to disintegrate. Although I adapted faster likely since I'm not really as pure as you are in personality..." Jack groans.

"Why is it so painful?" He shakes a little at the phantom feeling of blood on his hands.

"Because you're so pure Jack... you always have been." She says quietly as she slides her fingers through his hair.

"I lost my purity at a very young age... and no, not the way you remember... I lost it before I even met you... before those boys." Jack shudders.

"How long until you get used to the feeling of blood on your hands?" He asks, purring into the petting.

"Hmmm... well I think that's an individual thing Jack. I got used to it pretty quickly... but then again... what I do to those who don't heed the warning I give them makes it pretty easy for me since... well... it involves a great deal of working with blood." She says after a moment. Jack shudders.

"Alright." He looks around, not feeling himself at the moment, he decides to take a nap but yelps as a flash of the murders he'd done came to his mind and he snaps awake quickly.

"Maybe I'll nap later..." She smiles gently.

"Sleep love... I'll protect your dreams." Jack nods and goes back to sleep; immediately the darkness tries to take control while he's resting and weakened. A flare of light sends the darkness scurrying back, though it's only a warning and Jamie weaves a dream for Jack of the wedding to come with a little input from Mysterie. Jack smiles in his sleep, the miniature sand him kisses Jamie and Mysterie and then the two both kiss him on the cheeks. He breathes a sigh of contentment as what looks like macaws fly at the end. Jamie chuckles softly and flashes across the bond to Mysterie and image of how thinks it will REALLY go... She can't fully smother her laugh as she heartily agrees, though neither of them tamper with the dream itself.

 

 

Jack smiles in his sleep, it's a few hours before he wakes up to the beckoning of dark voices. He shakes his head and flicks on a few candles he had added to the room a week ago. He meditates, shooing the darkness away from him. Mysterie is meditating nearby... black sand swirling around her as she sits in the air cross-legged. Jack growls as the darkness is persistent, but he shuts down each attempt... Accept the last one, he can't fight it off.

"AHH!" He screams in pain as he can't stop it. The last one hurts, but the darkness suddenly jerks and squirms like a worm on a hook as Mysterie slowly opens her eyes; they are a deeper red than rubies and she forces its obedience though it fights against her influence, she snarls at it until it is subdued. Jack quivers in pain, having lost his hold over his darkness; it is beginning to take him over. She walks over to him and puts a hand on his head; the darkness she commands snags the darkness that is trying to take Jack over and holds it back though it seems to try and fight. She simply exerts her will over this little stream of darkness, her voice slightly deeper as she snarls at the tendril of darkness in Jack.

"Heel." The darkness whines before heeling like a pet and Jack shivers as he feels it submit to her will.

"Why does it listen to you so good?" She smiles softly, her eyes gleaming.

"Because I became HER. I made Shadow bleed in that battle... but I also took everything from her... Her power is mine to command as I wish." Like it is a pet, the darkness she controls pets his darkness like it has done good at listening.

"As the Guardian of Wishes... the night and all its Darkness is mine." The darkness in Jack literally wags its dark tail and makes a mix between a growl and a purr in Jack's mind. She purrs to it, her voice deepening a little as she speaks to the darkness.

"There... good boy. Now you listen to Jackie here hmmm? I promise you will get to play if you be a good boy." The darkness all but purrs and gives a nod of like 'yes I'll listen' and Jack feels much lighter as the darkness seems to settle.

"Thanks." She says nothing, the smile she had given the darkness fades and her head drops into her hands; she quivers as she forces her own darkness back and the redness fades from her eyes once more. She sits down next to him with a plop before she falls over. Jack cuddles her as he settles next her.

"God, I should have gone to you... I would have had it straightened out a week ago." She laughs a little.

"I doubt that Jack... this has taken me years... I ... managed to do what I did to Shadow not because I knew what the hell I was doing but because I was desperate... I couldn't let that happen to you... I took a gamble..." Jack sighs, something in his mind told him that there is trouble near Japan again and he frowns at that.


	10. Training

Jack sighs at the feeling of trouble.

"Looks like he'll get to play after all." Jack says with a sigh. Mysterie shakes her head.

"No... not yet... It must first learn. Then it will be rewarded." She gently brushes his cheek with her fingers.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon. I promise... if you need anything talk to Jamie. He'll help until I can return." She dissipates into silver sand and leaves. Jack sighs and tells the darkness to go in its hole for the moment, it listens and Jack decides to see what Jamie's up to. Jamie is staring at Bunny, the two are playing checkers and much like the chess match, they are close to even; each having the same amount of pieces though it's Bunny's move and he's trying to figure out which piece to move without ending up being jumped himself. Jack sighs and sits on a cloud he forms from the air, he feels awful, like he has the flu kind of sick. Jack doesn't even realize that he's made the cloud rain on Jamie and Bunny as he all but ignores the two for he is off in his own little world of memories. Jamie glances over at him, missing Bunny's move as he jumps a couple of Jamie's pieces at the risk of being jumped himself by a kinged piece. Jamie isn't surprised that Jack feels the way he does, remembering when Mysterie had felt that way... and more than that one day... He gives Jack a look of sympathy.

"Your turn mate... hey Jack. You okay mate? You look a little paler than usual?" Jamie ignores Bunny, taking his turn when he notices Bunny has moved and removes Bunny's piece that had taken two of his but also  manages to jump two others... putting him in the lead by one piece currently. Jamie doesn't mind the rain, but Bunny on the other hand...

"Oi! Mate! You mind?! I don't mind a spring shower but this isn't the time for one!" Jack doesn't answer because he's off in his own memories, he shuts off the rain though as he looks at nothing, clearly, staring at the ceiling but what he's seeing was the recent events as he lays on the cloud; he turns on his side, a tear or two falling onto the checker board before he ends up in a coughing fit. Bunny looks at Jack worriedly then looks at Jamie who shakes his head.

"Er.. I think I'll make meself scarce... We'll pick this up later." Jamie just nods, summoning a little bit of fire into one hand to dry things off and put the game away. Jack coughs again, looking at the blood he'd just coughed up he wipes it on the cloud... as much as a cloud can be wiped on anyway. He accidentally makes a thunder storm appear as he coughs in pain and when he sneezes a miniature hurricane appears. Jamie sighs a little.

"Maybe you should rest until you manage to work through this... before you stir up miniature tornadoes and flood the room." Jack shakes his head, coughing.

"N-no c-can do Jamie." He says after dissipating the hurricane and thunder before all but coughing blood for several minutes as he shakes his head.

"I got stuff to add to the area in Rio." He says, trying to breathe but it is hard when he keeps coughing up blood. Jack groans, eventually he jumps from the cloud and goes to the nearest bathroom, the door is slammed shut and all Jack can hear is his dry heaving after throwing up blood and everything he'd eaten... or whatever is in his stomach... or was...

 

 

Jamie sighs, well aware Jack probably wasn't going to Rio... that whatever was there Mysterie would take care of it. He waits patiently for Jack to return. Jack flushes the toilet after cleaning himself up, even using some powder from a flower to add blush to his cheeks so he doesn't look as sick. After Jack comes out Jamie gives him a bit of a knowing smile.

"Much as you want to Jack, I doubt you have the strength after all of that to do what you're thinking about. Your body really doesn't like the darkness does it?" Jack groans, his only response to that as he holds onto the wall to steady himself. His vision blurs for a second as well as a fever overtakes him and he coughs up blood once more. Jamie leads him back to bed, ignoring any protests. Once he has him tucked in, Mysterie reappears and he turns to her; she nods warily at him as she moves over to Jack. She can't deal with all the symptoms he has, but she could stop the worst of it at least. She puts a hand on Jack's as she settles next to him on the bed, muttering something under her breath as she sends a little bit of light into Jack to prevent him from coughing up more blood, settling his stomach and reducing the fever quite a bit, but Jack would still feel dizzy. Jack falls asleep in her arms, his breathing still irregular despite her help. She sighs a little, content to curl next to him and drop off to sleep herself. Jack wakes up with a cough and covers his mouth before all but leaping into the bathroom to throw up all of his stomach's contents into the porcelain bowl. Mysterie groans, a headache pounding at her head; she shoves it away though and waits for Jack to return. Jack doesn't feel the least bit better when he does return. He goes into a coughing fit, he falls to the floor as he loses his balance before he goes into a second coughing fit before he pulls himself up. She gently beckons him back to the bed and he groans as he uses a nearby nightstand to help him up but he falls into the bed, curling up as his stomach hurts like something is trying to burst out of him. Mysterie lightly runs her hands over him, murmuring in a chiding tone though what she says isn't really comprehensible as it's too soft for Jack to hear. Her sand slips over him, while it could not ebb much of the pain at least Jack would be better even if he didn't feel it for another half hour or however long it would take for his pain receptors to stop firing off that he is hurt when he no longer is... Jack slowly falls asleep into a memory induced dream, happy memories for once accept the very one of what could have happened had he turned to the darkness at that time in the recent battle. Mysterie sighs a bit, doing what she can to keep away the memory of the vision. It hadn't happened... it could have... but it didn't. She considers that even as she presses the memory away from Jack's dreams... What exactly had kept that from happening? She wasn't entirely sure what had happened that day... all she remembers for sure is the desperate need to keep him safe... to keep him from being forced to be something she knew Jack hated with a passion... and feared just as much... Jack sleeps soundly for the rest of the night, accept for the constant pain in his head, but he sleeps on. Mysterie considers sealing the memory away... but there is no way she can do that... She doesn't have that kind of power... Tooth maybe? Jack shudders as he feels warm, a little too warm and he kicks at the blankets. Noticing that he's warmer than he should be, Mysterie sends waves of coldness at him to try and settle him down and return him to a more normal temperature. Jack sighs in contentment and settles down, sleeping for half of the day; he doesn't want to wake up as he feels light and welcomed by the comfortable darkness of his subconscious. Mysterie waits for him to wake, because once he had... that's when the training would begin... Jack wakes up an hour later, rubbing his eyes and stretching as he yawns.

"That was a good sleep."

"Good. You needed it for the trial ahead of you." 

"What?" He looks at her, confused though feeling 100 percent better as he starts to head for the bathroom for daily stuff.

 

 

"I'm going to teach you to tame your darkness, and it's not going to be something you can do if you still feel like crap from just that little bit of darkness from last night." Jack gulps.

"What?" He looks at her nervously, something in him tells him to bolt, to run; he doesn't know why but he takes its advice and he runs. Jack doesn't get far before he finds himself lassoed by silver sand; Mysterie hadn't moved really, but the sand had short after him. Jack struggles as does the darkness that is trying to beckon him to bolt as it doesn't want to be tamed.

"Let me go!" The sand only tightens its grip and Mysterie slowly walks over to him, her sand telling her exactly where he is even without her being close to it. She simply walks around him once she gets to him. Jack struggles, he feels anger from the darkness towards her and his eyes flash black before returning to blue as Jack breathes heavily, having no strength left in him to fight her. Her eyes don't change but her voice deepens slightly as she speaks, but it's not to Jack.

"You will come to heel, you will listen or else." It snarls at her.

 **"No I won't, you don't control me. He doesn't either, he is mine to control only."**  The voice of the darkness speaks through Jack, flaring angrily. Mysterie snarls back.

"You won't like what happens if you don't... Jamie isn't the only one who can bite..." The darkness snarls.

 **"I'll take my chances."** It all but spits the words out at her. Jack groans in pain as it hurts a lot as he fights the darkness to get it to go back, but it only hurts more.

"You want to do this... fine. Let's see what you've got." She snarls back, her eyes flashing bright in challenge. It chuckles and takes full control of Jack, breaking the sand bonds. Jack's smile is crooked and fanged as he all but slams the light and darkness into her, slamming her into the bed as he laughs and makes fire surround her as ice daggers pin her to the bed. She laughs, the figure actually empowering her as she slips through the daggers much as sand does.

"Don't tell me that's your best..." It growls, all but slamming her through the window as he swings her into glass, making sure her neck gets the brunt of the attack before slamming her through the glass and making the two of them fall like a comet into the snow below as well as stabbing her on ice from below. Her eyes shine red, but the attacks seem to do little to deter her. She grins as the ice seems to slip through her though it seems she has yet to be actually hurt.

"Are you done?" She smirks. He breathes heavily.

 **"Not even close."** He creates an earthquake, causing her to fall into a crack in the earth that is very deep and sends fire after her as well as ice-like glass; making a ton of boulders fall on top of her and closing the ground up again. He smiles.  ** _That takes care of_ that...** He turns to leave.


	11. Lesson One

Sand slithers out through the cracks of the boulders and ground and Mysterie re-materializes right behind him, chuckling darkly.

"Oh come now... surely you can do better than trying to encase sand in the ground." He stops.

 **"You're starting to annoy me!"** He slams his foot into her stomach, ice, fire and all the elements attacking her fro the power that he wields over Jack. Instead of taking the attacks this time she easily reflects them back at him as if she can wield them herself... She can't, but this was the power she had found from Shadow and this power was her to control. He dodges each one, growling at her as vines wrap around her and slam her about like a rag doll; Frostbite, as he called himself, punches her in the head all the while cutting her up and burning her. Not missing a beat he moves to stab her neck and Jack screams in fear.

"MYSTERIE!" He laughs at Jack's pained scream. For a moment she lets him think he's won... then the ice he used to stab her melts and light in the form of ice lightening slams into him along the ice. The fire hadn't really burned her, after all... you can't burn a light spirit with fire because fire and light are too intertwined with each other to affect the other like that... It isn't obvious... but the fire is actually helping protect her from the other elements rather than doing harm.

"You really don't have a clue about any of this do you?" She laughs as she forces the fire he had forced on her to blast him suddenly. Jack whimpers in pain as does Frostbite who then yelps in pain as the fire flares at him. He dodges the blast as he begins to lose control on Jack, but he isn't going to let go that easily even as he whines in pain, his arm now burning in pain from the fire. He growls, blasting ice and razor sharp leaves at her like a cactus. She snarls, reaching towards the burn, the light around it shearing just that spot to make it feel even worse while the leaves burst into flame before they can do more than come close and the ice is melted away. Frostbite screams in pain as he struggles against the light. The light flares and she glares at him, snarling forcefully.

"Heel." He struggles, still eventually he cries out and heels as ordered. She grins and the light withdraws, the pain is taken away as the light backs off, taking the heat with it and instead leaving a cool feeling to soothe the burn.

"Good." Jack crumples, unconscious, but he soon wakes up only to scream in pain as his arm is burning like a frying pan in relation to the snow around him. At her command, the light slides over the burn to bring a cool relief as it steals the burn's heat and instills a coldness that normally only comes from space itself. Jack gasps in relief and he looks at her in shock, like 'what just happened? why are you all beat up and such' sort of look making it obvious he hadn't been able to really see what had happened as the darkness had blinded him except for the part where he'd thought he'd won... She gives him a reassuring smile despite the light red tint to her gaze.

"This is why we need the training. Getting him to heel is lesson one." Jack groans.

"Okay." He coughs a bit.

"Did I hurt you?"

 

 

"Not as much as I did you. I've learned a few tricks from melding with Shadow that keeps the other elements from harming me superficially. Jack rubs at his burned arm.

"Thanks... c-can we st-start with lesson one?" She smiles a little.

"It already has begun Jack. He will listen to me, like or not. The harder part is going to be to get him to listen to you." Jack nods and gulps.

"How do I do that when all he wants is to take over my body!!!" He yells in frustration. She gently brushes his cheek with her fingers reassuringly, to let him know that the darkness in her isn't in control of her.

"First, you need to show him you can hold your own. That you can be just as a threat to his existence... no, more so, than I am. You can produce a form of fire... fire is a type of light Jack. You can use this against him and you need to, to force him to come to heel. Jack shivers.

"But what if it doesn't work?" He looks at her with fear.

"What if he uses my own powers against me?"

"You know just as much about your powers as he does. Your own ice can't hurt you no matter what he tries because it is a part of you that is too deeply woven in you just as light and fire cannot hurt me because it's too deeply woven into me and who I am. As for the other elements... well, I'm sure you can easily counteract anything he tries... Water puts out fires, fire destroys vegetation just as ice does and ice can be overcome by fire. This is the balance of the elements. The natural order. Use it, if you must, to overcome him... and know that there is light in you and there is nothing that works best against darkness than the light of your heart." She pauses a moment.

"When you are ready... summon him, but make sure his consciousness does not push your own away. Fight for the control of the power he offers." Jack nods, not sure how but he has stuff to think about and elements to work with.

"Until you have a direct way of summons with him, lure him out. You know what draws his attention." She says after a moment of thought. Jack sighs.

"But there is no darkness to destroy though, no bad guys at the moment." He thinks, it was usually how the darkness comes out.

"No... but that's not the only trigger. I'm pretty sure one of the triggers is your memories."

"What memory?" Jack looks at her confused.

"Well, I wouldn't know which exactly. I imagine any memory that would invoke negative emotions in you, only you could know exactly which memories those are." He shivers.

"No no no... I can't confront him with that in mind." He yelps as he feels the darkness surfacing at just the thought of it.

 

 

"It's the only way to get his attention Jack... Now, teach him to heel." She says calmly, as she can see the signs of the other, faint though they are even as the redness in her eyes has faded now. Jack groans.

"B-but..." Before he can say anything more he is pulled into his subconscious mind and he gasps at the destruction that Frostbite has caused to the homes of the emotions. He sighs.

"He can't hurt me... he can't hurt me..." Jack repeats quietly, hearing the laughter. He shoots fire his way, Frostbite dodges.

"Jack. I guess you think you can beat me.. hmmm... get me to heel."

"Yeah." Jack says, feeling much braver now. Mysterie simply waits to see what happens, knowing that until Jack gets him to heel, there is little else to be done. She simply crosses her arms, waiting is hard... but it's all she can do. She had given him the information that he needed to use the elements... now all Jack needed to do was use it. Jack growls as he uses fire to surround Frostbite, he chuckles and uses darkness to snuff the fire out. Jack gasps as he steps back.

"No no Jack, you shouldn't play with fire. You might get burned." He yells, shooting black fire at Jack, hitting him directly. Jack screams out, his body currently unconscious; still as the internal battle rages. Jack hisses in pain.

 **"Awww... did that hurt? Well this is gonna hurt a lot more Jackie."** He says venomously as ice knives are thrown. Jack melts most of them only to be be stabbed in the arm by one he misses. He growls, slamming rocks into Frostbite who snarls at him.

 **"Okay, you wanna fight dirty let's fight dirty."** Frostbite uses the darkness so Jack can't see him. Jack looks around, backing away slowly. The only way Jack was going to win this fight was to remember what Mysterie had told him about the elements that would best Frostbite... Fire and ice over vegetation, water over fire, fire over ice, light over darkness... It was all that Jack needed to know and he just had to use what she had given him. Jack gasps, dodging a katana aimed for his back; Jack uses a flash of light and Frostbite screams in pain and hisses at Jack, his face slightly black from the light that had burned him.

 **"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"** He yells, swinging vines at Jack who burns them away and wraps light and fire around Frostbite who screams and writhes in pain; Jack doesn't let up, using an ice tornado of light to surround him as Frostbite screams. Jack walks over, standing over the writhing body, an ice staff pointed at his throat as he says one thing.

"Heel." The darker spirit whimpers before crawling back into the hole it lives in, fixing things as they had been as it does. Jack smile and wakes back to consciousness. Mysterie still stands before him waiting for the results as she has no way to be certain who had won the fight; only fairly certain that it's over. Jack sits up, scratching his head and smiling as his eyes flash a dark blue before settling back to their normal ice.

"I take it that it went well?" Jack nods.


	12. Dark Pixies

"Yeah, he's a whiney baby though." It hisses before Jack uses a flash of light on it and it whimpers, heeling again.

"But it's all good." Mysterie chuckles.

"Yes, well they all do tend to be at first. He'll learn to get along with you once you start rewarding him for doing what you want him to." Jack smiles.

"Can't wait to reward him then." Jack yawns a bit.

"You know, I'm hungry and I haven't cooked in a while." She chuckles a little.

"We should head elsewhere then, I don't think the yetis will let you anywhere near their kitchen regardless of how good of a cook you are." Jack smiles.

"Okay then." He thinks about where the two of them should go, he misses his home in France and thinks that the kitchen there is nice.

"How about we go to my home in France? It has a really nice kitchen there."

"The one in Paris?" She asks, thinking back to the time they had visited there. Jack nods with a smile.

"Yeah, that one." He really hopes that they can go there as it feels cramped to him here at the pole and Burgess so he wants to go there.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm ready when you are." Jack smiles and takes them both into a tunnel as he had with Jamie, to show her the extent of his powers he makes twisty turns before spilling them out into the house. She yelps at the tunnel, not having been expecting to drop but soon enough she's laughing at the turns even as she tumbles into him when they come out the other end of the tunnel.

"What a rush!" Jack smiles and immediately grabs his ingredients and frying pans, but first he cleans the items and his hands, just in case; he adds peppers to a tomato sauce and a special ingredient that he'd made. Mushrooms and noodles come next as he starts to fill a pot with water. Mysterie watches him cook in silence, as he is a far better cook than she is; it never fails to amaze her. Jack smiles as he prepares the noodles on one stove in the water and grates some cheese before working on meatballs while the spaghetti noodles cook. He makes a bowl full of the grated cheese but slaps at her hand with the spatula when she tries to snag some cheese, as he isn't done yet. She pouts cutely.

"But I just want a taste of the cheese..."

"No." He says simply as he prepares some garnishes and bread, along with some candles, slapping her hand again as she tries to take the cheese again.

"I'm warning you, be patient." She pouts, but then grins.

"Okay, I'll take something else instead..." Before Jack can get what she means, she spins him around for a quick kiss before backing off to let him finish. He reels a moment before he finishes with the garnish, the candles, and bread with a smile.

 

 

"You may eat now, you minx." He says as he sets up his own plate. She chuckles a little, getting her plate as she says teasingly.

"Yeah... but ya love me anyway."

"I know." He says watching her eat to see if she likes it or not, sighing a bit as he feels the dark whispers.

"Quiet you." The darkness growls until he flashes light and fire at it; it howls in pain before whining after he tells it to heel or face more pain; it reluctantly heels.

"I know you want to kill things, but you have to wait." He murmurs to it and it purrs after he mentally pets it. Mysterie happily eats her supper.

"Speaking of that... there's a target I know of that I'm sure will be a good test of that. There's a group of spirits that have crossed a line recently. I meant to deal with them when I was done talking to North, but that didn't happen." Jack gives her a fanged smile.

"When do we start?" It was the darkness talking and Jack becomes normal again after the question.

"After we eat, preferably." She comment nonchalantly. Jack smiles and eats slowly, it grates on Frostbite's nerves though he tells him to heel and that he'd get his turn, he just had to wait. Mysterie chuckles a little as she eats, saying jokingly.

"Now Jack, don't rile up the dogs before you feed them." Jack nods, the darkness in him whining hungrily.

"Shhh." It shuts up as Jack feeds it images of the bloody mess they'd made the last time. Mysterie finishes her meal with a smile.

"No matter what you make, you always seem to make it better than I ever could." Jack smiles and lovingly kisses her, a kiss she returns.

"N-now let's test him out before he eats my emotions!" Jack says as he can feel him eyeing his emotions hungrily.

"Alright... fair warning though. This is a lot of Dark Pixies we'll be after, they look like children. Don't let it fool you. They're a nasty bunch... they have been leading children astray into slavery, in exchange for every ten they bring ... well... you don't want to know what they do with the eleventh child... It's pretty barbaric. There's a group of twenty... think that'll give him a good taste. Follow me." Jack all but growls at that, his eyes flashing dark blue as he follows her out of the home and into the night. She leads him to a small city outside of a town that isn't so unfamiliar to her as she'd been to this town before, not just as a spirit either. She motions Jack to be quiet as she takes to the shadows; she pulls the shadows around the two of them to hide them as she thinks she hears something. Jack sees a girl with black hair and silver eyes leading a group of children of varying ages. Some of them looked to be teenagers like Jack while some were as young as five or six. Jack has a bad feeling about the girl leading them, his darkness growling in anger; he holds his head, using light to weaken the darkness but it is starting to hurt him a lot. Mysterie growls quietly.

"Heel and be still... We must wait..."

 

 

The girl is talking rapidly about all the candy the children are going to eat, along side there is a boy who looks like he's six and he's agreeing with her. Supporting her claims; his hair is white as snow and he has sapphire eyes. Mysterie motions that they are to follow them to where she knows the others will be, along with captured children. They stalk the group silently to a warehouse and the children are ushered into a dark room where there's murmurs of confusion followed by muffled crying as the children are gagged and bound by other pixies. Mysterie uses her sand to allow them both into the darkened area where after a moment it becomes clear the area is mostly dark to keep the children silent and in sleep. They are tied up with chains, handcuffs and a number of other random things. Anything to keep them bound and gags keep them silent beyond fearful whimpers though fear permeates the expansive area; what sets the twenty pixies apart from the children isn't just their unusual hair and eyes, but the fact that now they do something foolish and allow their wings to show... their wings are those of a dragonfly. Only once they have done so, letting their guard down does Mysterie say with a dark purr.

"Playtime...." Frostbite smiles malevolently as he is given control, Jack's eyes flash to black and his teeth sharpen as cold chills wrap around the pixies and before they can react he's on them, ripping into each of them; pulling out guts, gorging out eyes, freezing some, burning others, relishing in their screams of pain. He laughs darkly. He rips off the wings of the male pixie with the sapphire eyes, he begs for mercy as Frostbite stabs him with an ice sai into his stomach.

"Please... please stop!" He begs, Frostbite just smiles at him as he shoves fire in his face; burning and melting his face as the pixie screams in agony.

 **"There is no mercy for you pixies. Only hell awaits you."** He says as he makes them see only darkness, bringing out terrifying images from the depths of each of their minds. They scream on the floor, some even clawing at their own eyes; ripping them out. In the chaos, Mysterie's voice rings out darkly; her sand had put the children to sleep so that they will not have to witness this nor hear the screams of their captors.

"Hell for those who do not heed the warnings they are given! Mercy was given once, but you have taken it for granted... swim in the hell you have chosen!" Mysterie moves over to one who is quivering in the corner and she gives them a smile but the reassurance they feel is short lived and turns to fear when they see her red eyes and the female pixie screams bloody murder as Mysterie's flames engulf her. Frostbite rips the throats of several, drinking their blood and clawing out their intestines, even choking one of them with it. Ripping and clawing at them, melting their skin and engulfing them in Dark Fyre as he laughs demonically even though each one was dead now. The blood-lust too much and he begins spinning out of control, Jack fights to make him heel but the darkness doesn't listen as it drinks blood from each of the bodies and ripped the ears off of one that had been brutally impaled. Mysterie summons a ring of fire around Frostbite and snaps out, seeing the pixies are dead now.

"Heel!" Frostbite growls and responds by shooting black flames at her even as Jack growls.

"HEEL!" Sending light and fire to the darkness, it yelps and whimpers; falling and curling in on itself, holding its middle.

"I said heel!" Jack snarls, the darkness whimpers before returning back to its hole and Jack gasps out, looking at the blood he's covered with.

"He is a messy one, this one is..." 


	13. Avid Believers

Mysterie bats away the black flame that smolders on one shoulder.

"Yeah... I'll say he is... a violent blood hound... Not like mine that's for sure." Jack breathes heavily.

"H-how do we fix that?" Jack thinks that if he'd taken a step further that Frostbite could and might have done worse to her than fire.

"We don't fix it... it's just his nature. All we can do is control it... at least he's a mindless blood hound... Mine's a sadistic bitch who gets off on hearing other's scream from pain..." Jack nods.

"But he does have a mind though Mysterie, this is different from when he attacked... he was savage... not cold and calculating like he used to be." Jack thinks for a minute, something's not right.

"Hmmm... while it's strange, it's not too surprising for a first time. Keep an eye on him. It could be a dual personality between shifts until you work something out. Mine wasn't always a sadistic bitch at first... she was more like a freakin' vampire the first few times... freaked me out. Still, should make sure to keep a close eye, see if it mellows out or not. Jack nods, testing its stability but it all but bites his mental hand off.

"OUCH! SON OF A BITCH BIT ME!" Jack yells as he feels it as if it were physical.

"I wish he would calm down." He looks at the sleeping children.

"Let's get these kids to their homes." Jack looks at himself in a blood reflection only to throw up as his mouth, hair, and everything on him was blood, guts and eyeball juice. He heaves for five minutes before managing to say between heaves.

"H-how s-savage was h-he?" Mysterie summons some sand to clean Jack up.

"Enough to give these kids nightmares if I hadn't put them to sleep first." She moves over to the first group, her sand working at various bonds, slicing through them. She gives the children good dreams about their homes so that she can pick from these dreams where they live and return them to their rightful places with her sand. Jack heaves once more before standing shakily and helping take the kids to their homes. Once they are down to the last child she stops him a moment from picking the teen up.

"Before we leave here... we need to leave a calling card. I suggest leaving some frost or something... a warning to other spirits. I've been leaving behind bits of sand." A bit of silver sand is mixed with the charred remains of the pixie she had burned alive. Jack nods and leaves some ice that looks gnarled, wrapping up some of the pixies like miniature ice sculptures with their bowels hanging and leaves etched in some blood beneath these a message:

Those of darkness shall pay for their sins

 

 

Jack smirks darkly, going over to the body of one he hadn't put in ice. It was like he can't help it, like he has to do it as he picks up some guts and puts them in his pocket. Some of Mysterie's sand slips its way into Jack's pocket to discreetly get rid of it without the darkness knowing about it... Jack didn't need THAT among his things of all things... Mysterie didn't care if it whined later. It wasn't taking home trophies while she is around. She sends the final child home through her sand. 

"Alright, we're done here. Probably should get some rest." Jack nods.

"I'm ready for it." 

"Same here!" She walks out of the warehouse, closing the door behind the two of them.

"Shall we go back to the place in France or do you want to go somewhere else?" Jack smiles.

"Let's go to Canada, eh?" He smiles at the accent.

"I also have a cabin in the mountains up there; I claimed it as my own." She smiles.

"Lead the way." Jack smiles and takes them towards the country on the coastal winds since the north wind seems a bit busy. He smiles as they fly over the area, seeing snow, children playing about, horses running wild, herds of wild moose grazing. Jack yelps in surprise as a few geese suddenly surround them. She chuckles and pulls Jack away from them before the geese get any ideas, aware of how aggressive they can be. Jack smiles, pulling her to a snowy mountain cabin, the inside was average Canadian furniture with added touch of his own of course. Mysterie looks around the place. 

"Very... what's the word? ... rustic? I think..." Jack smiles.

"I know." He tinkers with an unfinished sculpture he had started 36 years ago, he works on finishing the moose. She walks over to the unfinished sculpture with a hint of curious awe. Jack finishes the life-sized moose with a smile of satisfaction. She smiles, eyes gleaming a little in appreciation.

"A work of art for the ages... you never cease to amaze me." Jack smiles.

"You want to explore the master bedroom?" 

"Thought crossed my mind." She says with a smile, pushing back the other, not so innocent thoughts that had crossed her mind as well. Jack smiles and gabs her hand, taking the two of them to the top floor of the very large cabin; she follows with a smile. Jack opens the door to the big bedroom, the centerpiece being a huge wooden bed. She gaze around the room curiously. Along the walls are various pictures of Jamie when he was eight along with a few other pictures, even a more recent one of the grown up Jamie that he'd recently added just a week before. The bed itself, which was hard to miss really, had been hand carved and the mattress was made out of sheep coats and sheep blankets, all hand stitched. Mysterie smiles as she recognizes some of the pictures; she moves over to the bed, lightly running her fingers along the frame as she studies the room, the bed's frame had an oak pattern, but in blue. She smiles at the simple beauty of it all.

 

 

"I can't imagine where you get all these ideas, but it's very lovely. Jack sits on the floor, hugging his knees.

"It just comes to me when I see the beauty of the world and watch the beginnings of construction of modern buildings, you learn things." She turns back to him with a soft smile.

"Well, you certainly have an eye for it." She walks over to him and settles next to him, wrapping her arms around him. He smiles and kisses her, she returns the quick kiss.

"So what do you want to do today, eh? Go find wild mooses eh? Or go to the Canadian hockey festival, it's good eh?" He says while smiling. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Mooses? Jack where have you been learning your grammar?" She teases gently and Jack blushes.

"I didn't learn much in school, mostly learning how to survive was our priority." He says glumly. She gently kisses his cheek.

"Don't take it so hard. Things were different back then after all." Jack nods, smiling.

"So is it a yes to moose or festival?" She thinks a moment.

"Let's do a little of both, look for the moose on our way to the festival." Jack nods.

"Let's go then!" She smiles, following him out of the cabin. Jack takes them through the woods silently, stopping her and pointing out a moose and his herd that were walking past them. She smiles, watching the herd walk past; the animals not seeming to have noticed the two spirits. Jack smiles and gets out a camera from his pocket that Jamie had given him one New Year's Eve when he'd still been alive and took a picture before they were gone. Jack smiles.

"Magnificent." She nods in agreement, following him again once the herd is gone. Jack smiles and takes the two of them to the top of a clock tower; there are balloons shaped like moose, rides, and games and many colorful costumed people and hockey players surrounding the square. She smiles as she follows him, wonder and curiosity in her shifts mostly to curiosity and awe as she looks about the festival; unaware they've been spotted by a handful of teenager girls who giggle and point at them. Jack smiles and takes the two of them to a vendor, paying for two cheese logs. Mysterie looks at hers a moment before taking a tentative bite as she's never had one before; she doesn't notice the teenagers have followed the two of them or are close until one of them suddenly squeals in delight almost right behind them and causes Mysterie to nearly leap out of her skin in surprise and almost choke on the final bite of her cheese log. Jack jumps as well and wraps an arm around her, guiding the two of them away.

"Don't look, don't make eye contact they can smell fear." He says as he ducks his head as if it would make him disappear. The girls giggle and run after them, Mysterie groans.

"Oh gods... fan girls..." 


	14. Fun and Games

When Mysterie realizes the girls are still following close behind she swirls sand around the two of them, forming them both into sand temporarily and shooting over the heads of the crowd faster than they can blink to make their escape. Only once she's sure that they're safely away does she allow the two of them to re-materialize. Jack gasps, holding his chest, he is in pain and his heart feels like it is bursting; he isn't used to that form of travel and throws up in a bush nearby, cheese log and all. Mysterie winces.

"Sorry... I'll warn you next time." Jack sits down for a minute.

"It's okay, anyways, what do you wanna do? Which ride do you wanna ride? Games? Snow? Anything you want." She glances around, still feeling a little guilty about that unexpected effect of the quick getaway, but this was their time to have some fun and relaxation before the wedding.

"Hmmmm, let's try some of the rides first." She points to one nearby. Jack smiles, seeing that it looks like a ferris wheel but spins really fast as is obvious from the ride's current motion and the occupants' screams of fun. Mysterie had never been on a ride like that before, she was a little nervous, but at the same time she wants to try it. Jack holds her hand, none of the adults here believed in them, so it was easy to get on for free. He holds her hand and smiles.

"Hold on, it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you and do you think Jamie will be jealous?" She chuckles.

"Probably no more than I was when you took him to Japan." She squeezes his hand in a show of trust, she trusted that he would protect her just as she would protect him. Jack smiles as the ride starts slow, taking them really high up and stopping, the seat rocks a little in the air. She scoots close to him, waiting for it to really start. It tilts back at the very tippy top and then all of the sudden gravity is thrown out of balance as they slam backwards around and around while the seat moves and flips. Mysterie lets out a yelp as gravity is thrown out of balance. Jack screams and his screams mix with hers, they hold onto each other tight as the ride gains more speed. Mysterie shrieks at the speed, but the fear is more of the fun kind than actual fear as she clings to him. Five minutes later the ride ends and Jack laughs before finding a trash bin and throwing up into it because of the dizziness it had caused him. Mysterie doesn't feel that sick, but she staggers around as she seems to have all but completely lost her sense of balance.

"Cheese and crackers... maybe something a little more mild..." Jack laughs a little, moving over to her to hold her up only for the flash of a camera to make him look up with a glare at the person who had done it. It was obvious this person was a journalist.

"Crap." The man wrote down everything the two of them were doing and Jack's words.

"Sorry, no flash photography." Mysterie says with a grin, her sand slipping into the camera and ruining the electronic device's memory, destroying the tiny chip before returning to her. The last thing they needed was publicity. The man gasps before glaring at her, Jack grabs her hand, slightly blushing but his mood sours a little because of the journalist. She grins at the man.

"Sorry, but you know some things aren't meant to be photographed..." She chuckles at the glare the man gives her and pulls Jack away from the noisy journalist towards a different ride that looks more mellow than the one they just got off. Jack smiles when he sees it, remembering a similar ride, except that they had used real horses in his time. Mysterie settles on a horse, sitting behind him; she wraps her arms around his waist as she waits for the ride to start. The ride starts slowly and Jack gasps as the it jolts and hits his privates a little hard causing Mysterie to wince in sympathy for him. Jack sighs, but the ride becomes a gentle rocking as they go around and around the music, it was a nice and happy tune, almost making him forget that he was an immortal; a long dead winter spirit from 300 plus years ago and he feels like a child again, like a normal boy in the real world. Mysterie smiles at his happiness, content at his side and lets herself slide into that belief as well for the moment. Remembering what it's like to be alive and pretending that, just this once, they are just two normal people enjoying a day out.

 

 

Jack is lost in his memories until the ride ends, it ends too quickly for him though and he sighs, jumping off with Mysterie behind him. She gently entwines her fingers through his, a gesture of comfort as she follows him off the ride. Jack smiles.

"What next?" 

"Maybe some of the games will prove entertaining, although whether they will be a challenge or not remains to be seen." She says, gently tugging him towards a group of games. Jack smiles and looks at the many colorful prizes; one in particular catches his eye in that it looks a lot like his teddy bear, it was a baseball target booth. With a slight smile, Mysterie picks up the balls for the target game even as she makes an inquiry to Jamie who allows the man to see the two of them as normal people for a while through his power over belief. Jack pays for a round of darts, trying his best to hit the balloons for the prized teddy bear everyone is trying to get. She watches him try even as she pays for a round, she had seen him eye that bear... She tosses one ball up and down as she eyes the target of bottles for a moment before tossing the first ball... It hits the bottles with a thunk, but doesn't knock them down... She frowns as she picks up the second... thoughtful. Jack oohs and awws at the next game he moves to try. Mysterie tries again, this time the bottles wobble a little. She isn't putting her all into the throw, the second one a test and as she expects, they still don't topple though and she holds the third in thought. Jack plays a duck hunting game next and wins easily, getting the best prize... and iPod by Apple. Mysterie does a little calculating in her head before she throws the last ball, sending the bottles wobbling and then toppling like pins. The man looks at her in pleased surprise that she had managed it and asks her what she'd like as a prize; she looks over the prizes before pointing out the bear she'd seen Jack looking at earlier and smiles as the man hands it to her before she turns to see what Jack is up to. Jack smiles, having won a dvd player, some games, and stuffed animals; he is carrying it all in his arms, unable to see her when he bumps into her. She giggles a little, picking up some of the stuffed animals Jack drops when he bumps into her.

"I think you got carried away." Jack smiles and manages to create some paper bags when no one is looking, he puts the stuffed animals and other prizes in them, marking one as Jamie's, one as Mysterie's, and one as his. Mysterie sticks the bear she won in Jack's sack.

"How about we get something to drink?" Jack nods.

"Sure." He follows her as she wanders over to the concession vendors, looking at the various lists of drinks before she settles on a blueberry shaved ice. Jack picks out a drink as well.

"Now North and Tooth told me never to drink a soda..." He smiles a little darkly.

"One Dr. Pepper." He orders and pays for the drinks. She laughs a little at his words.

"Well North probably because it's bad for you considering it's acidic... and Tooth probably because she's worried it will rot your teeth... or worse... That you'll have a sugar rush like what happens when you give her fairies sugar..." Mysterie's grin says that she's heard about that incident... Jack chuckles.

"I don't care. I be sugar rushing here!" She chuckles as she munches on her shaved ice.

 

 

"Okay... but don't say I didn't warn you when you crash later... and believe me... you will eventually. Especially if you're not used to it." Jack smiles, taking a sip; his mouth tingles from the sugar and he begins feeling extremely full of energy. She motions over to a nearby bench for the two of them to sit on that is currently empty as she munches happily on her syrupy ice. Jack smiles, feeling like he could be here, there... anywhere at once. She chuckles a little as she simply watches him, hoping that she doesn't come to later regret not stopping him. Jack smiles and looks at the balloon ride nearby. He jumps up and flies over there, talking a mile a minute on the size and weight and how it moves as Mysterie follows him; if only to keep an eye on him. She uses her sand to send the bags of things to the ice castle before Jack drops anything from them and she didn't really want to carry the one she has around all day as well as her drink. Jack jumps into the ride as it is taking off, laughing. She follows him into the balloon with a bit of a chuckle. Jack looks around, running in circles around and inside the basket; Mysterie simply watches him as he runs around like a little kid, actually enjoying this thoroughly. Jack looks at the colorful rainbow that gleams in the sky and claps like a child. She smiles and reaches out with her power to bend the light... making a double rainbow much to the approval of the people around to see it as can be heard faintly from other balloons floating about in the sky besides theirs. Jack smiles.  _Ooooh pretty!_ Mysterie smiles at the thought that she can sense until they both see something dark in the sky and full of evil and coming towards them. Growling at the thing, she harnesses the rays of the sun to try and burn the evil thing out of the sky. It doesn't even flinch, smiling darkly as it appears to be a summer spirit. Grumbling at that revelation, Mysterie decides that whatever this thing has planned... it's NOT about to happen here with all these people... She shoots out of the balloon at it, slamming into it and doing what she had done with Jack earlier; making the two of them into sand and taking the darkness with her to a place less populated with people before it forces her to let go and they both tumble along the ground outside the city. The spirit looks a lot like a dark version of Gary.

"Whoa."

"Okay... what the heck?!" Rather miffed at the interruption of the day and she looks at what looks like an evil doppleganger. Jack, having followed, growls in turn at the evil doppleganger who smiles. He all but smiled at Jack, waiting for something... but what? Mysterie glares at the doppleganger... what was it waiting for? Jack growls at him, feeling his darkness roaring to kill, in which the other smiles, challenging it! Realizing what's going on here, she senses through the bond the darkness in Jack and mutters quietly.

"Keep it in check... I'll take this one... You need to find out what's going on... and fast." Before Jack's darkness can answer the challenge she snarls at it, her eyes flashing red in challenge.

"Pick on someone your own size... or are you a coward." The dark spirit smiles before disappearing off to where Jack was heading. She snarls and tackles it so that it doesn't get far, not giving it a choice now but to deal with her. It growls, using darkness to wrap around her instead of using fire and it turns to nothing, then stabs at her, aiming for her throat. She snarls back, reflecting the stab back at the last second so that it ends up stabbing itself, causing it to cry out in confusion and pain. Jack breathes heavily, trying to fight the darkness as it wasn't happy about leaving its challenge behind. Jack groans as he hears people screaming, there were more! All of them dark copies of Jack's brother and sister spirits, all turning their attention to Jack and smiling when he arrives.

"Come with us quietly Frost." They say, Jack looks around, surrounded by fire spirits, fall, spring and even winter spirits as well as other creatures. He was trapped.


	15. Immoral Humanity

The spirits grin at Jack, but jerk suddenly when they find they can't move. They begin to cry out in anger at this... the source of it isn't evident until Jack glances up. Jamie is scowling at the group, Mysterie had called him for reinforcement... and he was controlling the group like puppets for the moment... but it is taking a lot of his power to do so and he won't be able to hold it forever.

"Run Jack!" Jack runs, flying fast, but he doesn't want to leave Jamie there... but he knows he has no choice as several of the dark spirits not in Jamie's control are tailing him on the side and the back, trying to box him in.

"NOOO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mysterie slams into the confused spirit into a tree, growling.

"What do you want with him? What is going on? Start talking or you'll wish you had..." The spirit chuckles.

"W-why don't you know? We want his power, his darkness... we will bring it out of him. He will turn on you and everyone when we've finished with him." The dark being laughs.

"Damn you..." She snarls... then she does something she's not done in a while... She takes the darkness from the spirit before her, leaving the thing very weakened before she staggers back, adjusting a moment to the new power before heading off after Jack who gasps as he's wrapped in vine nets that take him out of the sky. He falls unconscious as the vines give off a sleeping mist and he spirals to the ground. Jack lands on a black panter, its eyes glowing red a moment and it races in the opposite direction of the mist in leaps and bounds, following close behind is a pack of black furred wolves. Jack groans in pain, the darkness all but trying to take him over; Jamie just manages to keep those under his control from fleeing as he feels a darkness approaching... He's not sure if he should be happy or not when he realizes the darkness is Mysterie... and that she's "devouring" the darkness that she finds like a ravenous creature... Jack whimpers, feeling the difference in the air, that he is moving on something but he doesn't know what. Jamie feels more and more unnerved as time passes... and he begins to worry about her... The dark panther, along with the wolves, carry Jack to the heart of darkness; putting him into something strange, strange vines growing out of glass that covers him as he's in water of some sort, some sort of chemicals... As shadow speaks, it was only darkness and a voice.

"Do we have him?" Another answers.

"Yes sir, we have the one to bring us to victory." The bat creature replies.

"Good, let's fix his personality shall we?" A woman pets the panther as a robot fits a mask over Jack's face before the chemicals fully fill the rest of the tank.

"Good work." Jamie releases the dark spirits under his control, as much from not being able to keep his hold on so many at once as because of fear now... Fear that sends the dark spirits scrambling to get away as Mysterie stumbles close, her eyes blood red.

"This can't be good..." He mutters.

 

 

Mysterie takes another step forward, she hears something and she spins around as there's a click... a dart... and then there's chaos as Jamie tries to keep the people off her, but as he dodges darts himself and burns most of them, getting some of them to back off a couple of wolves drag Mysterie off as she staggers into a drugged sleep from half a dozen darts. Jack's mind fights the influence as they begin to pump various things into him to try to erase his memories of Mysterie, Jamie and everything he knew so that he'd be a full blown killer for them to command, at their beck and call. The attempts to erase his memories; however, was going horrible... while the chemicals and worked well on every test subject they'd used it on... including themselves... It was failing in use against Jack because of his power... Jackson and the others were protecting Jack's memories. In the meantime they were attempting to do the same to Mysterie, with just as much luck... Jamie searches for them, but he stops when he's halfway to the hidden lab; he feels so weak... what was going on? Why had they both suddenly disappeared? He had barely escaped himself and now he feels like he's been put through his paces... He knows they are close by, the bond was as strong as ever... but why wasn't he able to just teleport there like usual? He sat under a tree, winded. When had he ever become so tired? Jackson is weakening slowly, he couldn't keep their relentless probing into Jack's mind back forever and the emotions were falling as they tried to take his emotions so he would have nothing but a blank slate; be nothing but a creature for them to use, but that wasn't working either. The scientists eventually run out of chemicals and take to bickering to one another as they leave Jack in his half drugged state to try and concentrate more on Mysterie even as Jamie gets his second wind. He still feels a little tired, but he pushes it out of his mind as he slips past the unbelieving like a ghost as he enters what looks like a house. The laboratory is hidden underground, the abandoned house just a front; though it is in such ruin that no one can live in it. Jamie makes his way to the underground lab and slowly down a long hallway where there's but a single door at the end... what the hell was all this? Jack starts to wake up, his eyes are blurry, his body numb; he feels tubes and wires running into his body and hooked up to a machine; he gasps as he sees the glass and the area, unfamiliar but terrifying to him. He yells for Mysterie but his voice is muffled by the glass, he kicks at it.

"LET ME OUT WHO EVER YOU ARE! LET ME GO!" Mysterie is still out of it, they pull her from a tank nearby; ignoring Jack as one rummages through the various chemicals they have on hand, trying to find something they haven't tried yet on her. Jamie, sensing that Jack is awake, pushes himself to hurry through the door, becoming light itself so he doesn't have to open it and finds himself in a room with several tanks full of some odd liquids that most definitely isn't water... everything is near blindingly white though and he winces when he sees that one scientist injects something into Mysterie before he can stop them. His eyes drawn from them to Jack though and he feels relief as he realizes Jack's not hurt. The two don't even look towards him as he floats over to Jack... Though they look over in sudden alarm when Jamie uses his fire to shatter the glass to let Jack out... still not seeing him. Jack groans in pain as he tries to pull out the needles, anger in him as he slams the scientists away from Mysterie with a blast of cold; ripping out the wires and tubes, shaking as his body hurt all over.

"J-jamie... help Mysterie... please..." Unaware the room would send out a form of sleeping gas, Jack feels faint. Jamie catches Jack before he falls, the two scientists leave Mysterie before they go to Jack but they don't get two steps before they're nothing but a pile of ashes. Jamie whispers softly, reassuringly.

"It's okay now... I promise... I'm going to get you both out of here... Hang on... Bear with me... I'm going to teleport all three of us okay?" Jack nods, his vision darkening and his breathing heavy before he goes limp in Jamie's grasp. Jamie takes a deep breath even as an alarm begins to blare, but he moves over to where Mysterie's out and manages to teleport the three of them to the pole... They land in a heap in the middle of the meeting room on the table where Bunny is talking to North. The two start at the interruption until they realize with alarm that something is very wrong and North calls for yetis to assist as they get the three of them into the infirmary to inspect the three of them.

 

 

Jack groans in pain as the darkness squirms inside him, trying to take over. He curls in on himself.

"M-mysterie..." Sandy does what he can to push back Jack's darkness and give him good dreams; Mysterie is in one bed nearby, out like a light and Jamie is in one on the other side, Bunny sitting tentatively at Mysterie's side. Tensed as he murmurs quiet enchantments. North paces nervously between Jack and Jamie's beds.

The woman from the lab is furious.

"THEY ESCAPED AND YOU LET OUR ONE TICKET TO VICTORY ESCAPE!" She snarls at her subordinates. As the last word is almost said Jack screams in pain, as something inside him shocks him; they had put something in him to control him whenever they needed and they were testing it now. Jack fights against the control as the darkness is forced out of its hole and into his subconsciousness, which it didn't mind one bit as Jack fists the bed in pain, arching as the electricity grows stronger the more he resists. North goes over to Jack, Bunny looks at him pleadingly as he tries to take care of Mysterie and North nods... It takes several spells... and a helluva lot of pain on Jack's end... but he manages to do what Bunny is attempting with Mysterie... to remove whatever it is they had put in Jack to force the darkness out of its hole. It's a painful process, but once done it leaves Jack in a deep, dreamless sleep. Jack doesn't twitch, his body is smoking a little as the thing responsible is electrical... nanites. His insides writhe in pain, but he's numb to the world. North shakes his head at the "chemical" he manages to pull from Jack's body along with other foreign chemicals to help Jack's body be rid of them as he sleeps. He bottles small samples of each for study later; most of it he simply tosses out the window into the snow, a window left open for that purpose. Bunny manages to pull some of the same from Mysterie; Jamie sleeps deeply, but only from exhaustion and is unaware of what is going on. The two spend the next seven hours dealing with the crap inside of the systems of the two spirits before managing to get the majority of it out. Whatever is left if filtered out by their own bodies that see the chemicals as foreign bodies and have attacked it; nullifying whatever effects it may have had. Jack doesn't wake for several days and Mysterie is no better, sleeping for the same length of time as their bodies recover from the strain of the chemicals, the battle, and having said chemicals removed. In the meantime that they sleep... Bunny begins fussing over Jamie who seems to be more tired than usual now, thought he insists on visiting every day to check on them.

"I'm fine Bunny, I just didn't sleep well last night is all."

"I donno mate... you just don't look right..."

"I feel perfectly healthy, stop fussing over me." Jack groans slightly, but that's all he does before going back into the healing slumber. Jamie glances over to Jack then back to Bunny.

"How much longer?"

"No idea mate... that was rough... what happened to 'em. As fer her... I donno where in the 'ell she got that idea it was good to be swallowing up all that darkness... That's gonna leave a mark for sure... No telling what the results of that will be... but she doesn't seem to have been overtaken by it." Jack gasps for air, he suddenly can't breathe and feels like he's choking; he is, he is suffocating for no real apparent reason.


	16. Determination

Jamie moves instinctively forward only to suddenly collapse. Bunny grabs him, yelling for North and anyone nearby to help; a yeti responds, taking Jamie and putting him into bed again while Bunny grumbles and quickly mixes up a salve that he rubs into Jack's chest, it soaks into his skin and begins to take effect, easing the airways by forcing Jack to cough up whatever is blocking them. it is a metal bug and it moves, escaping through the window, flying off... Fortunately it doesn't get very far as something slices it and smashes it to pieces, the one responsible... Tooth, who is coming for a visit and happened to see it just as she was moving towards the open window.

"That's not what I thought it was... was it?" She looks at Bunny, worried.

"I donno... what do you think it was?" 

"A tracker..." 

"Well... I donno if it were or not. Even if it was... not like humans can find this place just by coming here... Not even with all their technology." She nods thoughtfully. Humans had been to the North Pole just like everywhere else in the world... but thanks to the strong magics none of the Guardians' homes had ever been discovered for one reason or another. The magic that hid them was just that strong and had been made so for good reason. Jack coughs up blood, the bug had sliced up his throat on its way out.

"Easy mate." Bunny says, murmuring a healing chant to close the wounds that had been inflicted by the device. Tooth looks on in worry.

"Why is Jamie in here again?"

"Donno, came to visit like usual and he just collapsed all of the sudden... Something's wrong with him... but I donno what..." Jack wakes up hours later, screaming as he wakes from a nightmare of the lab. He breathes heavily, holding his middle, shaking in fear and pain; unsure if he was even at the pole. Bunny puts a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Easy there mate. You're safe. Promise." His emerald eyes gleam with gentle concern. Jack looks at him as if he isn't real, he touch his paw; inspecting it to make sure it is real and that this really is the pole.

"You been through some heck of a nightmare there. Do you remember what happened to ya?" He asks in a gentle tone and he doesn't stop Jack when he touches his paw, realizing that Jack probably needs the reassurance. Jack spreads Bunny's paw, looking for any skin that isn't fur or rabbit. Bunny is patient as Jack inspects his paw; Jack lays his head on the paw, wanting to feel how soft it is. Bunny ruffles his hair with the paw Jack isn't holding.

"Satisifed are ye now?" Jack sighs, but he's still very skittish and he hasn't spoken yet, all but screaming. He is too afraid to talk. His eyes flicker left and right, he doesn't recognize much though he remembers who Bunny, Jamie and Mysterie are but it takes him a while to remember who and what they are. He screams when North bursts in.

"North!" Bunny growls and North at least has the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry... did not think would scare him." Bunny groans.

 

 

"Mate, you should know better than ta burst into ANY infirmary..." He glances over to Jack.

"Hey now, calm down there frostbite... we aren't going to hurt ya." Jack hides under the blanket, shaking like a leaf, not able to recognize North at the moment; all he can see is one of the scientists. Bunny sighs, lightly stroking Jack's back through the covers.

"It's okay Jack... Easy now..." He gives North a look that says he should leave and North takes the hint. In the next bed, a yeti tends to Jamie who lets out a soft groan. The yeti is trying to get him to eat, but he doesn't seem to want to though after a moment it manages to get him to eat some of the soup. Jack shudders at the noise, hiding under the covers just full of fear and unfamiliarity. Tooth walks into the room, Bunny had asked her to come in case her power would be needed as North had isolated some of the chemicals and had figured out what the scientists had been trying to achieve... or at least part of it.

"Jack?" Her tone is soft and inquisitive as she kneels next to the bed near Bunny, she wants to draw Jack out to look at her. Jack shivers, not speaking, but he uncovers himself to his eyes. Looking more frightened than a rabbit about to be eaten by hawks. She gives him a soft smile, her eyes soft and cautious.

"Do you remember who I am? You don't have to talk... just nod or shake your head if you do." Her wings are still against her back, her feathers smoothed down to look as non-threatening as possible. Jack shakes his head, he can't recognize anyone anymore; apparently the scientists had achieved part of their goal, not all the way though to rid him of his emotions or other thoughts and he has some memories, he just doesn't fully remember people he knows he should. She seems thoughtful then asks.

"Have you seen me before?" Jack cautiously nods his head yes, but he's frightened when Sandy comes in gently. Sandy stays back away from Jack though he moves over to check on Mysterie.

"Do you trust me?" Tooth asks after a moment after glancing towards Sandy when she notices Jack's fright. He looks at Tooth, unsure but he feels more trust with her and nods.

"Will you let me try then? To retrieve some of your memories?" Tooth asks while Sandy seems to sigh a little in his quiet way. Jack shakes his head, answering in his mind.  _No, retrieving memories is a no no... that's what they told me..._ He shakes his head and hides under the covers. Tooth glances over to Sandy who sighs again... apparently they were going to have to do this the more difficult way. Sandy lands behind Jack, a ball of sand in his hand; he gently taps Jack to get his attention... he just needs Jack to poke his head out... Jack shakes in fear, kicking out at Sandy before bolting out the door. He is afraid, feeling trapped, he is out the open window in no time at all when he realizes the door isn't open. Sandy is quicker and follows Jack out and fires several balls of sand rapidly to smack Jack with one. Once one hits he catches Jack and carries him back to the pole. Jack whimpers as it is a painful sleep... Sleep is painful, the only training that was burned into his mind... they had brutalized the pain to him in his mind. Sandy seems sad at this when he brings Jack back and looks at Tooth who nods. North and Bunny work on putting up wards and other measures to keep Jack in while Tooth touches his mind with hers; this time she doesn't just look at memories though... she presses her power into his mind to correct what the chemicals have damaged... it will take her several hours just to correct his memories so that he not only recognizes those around him, but can put names to each face that she comes across.

 

 

Some memories that are faded to begin with are now beyond even her ability to repair and she leaves them be though she makes sure that Jack knows who Jamie and Mysterie are without doubt and then she presses on to see what other damage has been done to him. The first thing she comes upon is the pain trigger, she frowns and fixes that right off the bat... No one should associate sleep with pain. Ever. Once that is fixed she delves deeper to see what else she can fix... Jack fights against Tooth, trying to force her out of his mind as she had delved deeply, he whimpers, struggling.

"GET OUT!" While Tooth finds him shoving her into a different part of his mind, she has enough experience to not be pushed out entirely. She's determined to help him whether he wants it or not... Jack whimpers, fighting her left and right.

"GET OUT IT HURTS! GET OUT!!!" She evades Jack this time, fixing various things that she can... even managing to turn off his pain receptors for a while so it stops hurting while she hunts for anything else and evades him at the same time. Jack whines.

"PLEASE STOP! MEMORIES BAD! MEMORIES BAD! FORGETTING GOOD! THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT! WHAT THEY WANT! THEY WILL HURT ME AGAIN!" Jack is freaking out, blocking Tooth's path to the rest of his mind like locked doors. Despite Jack's attempts to lock her out, Tooth is very good at what she does for a reason and slips past them, shifting through each memory that she finds... a few that are terrible she leaves blocked as they are, but others... like the first time Jack met Jamie... the snow days with him... She mends the damage to these and removes the block. Jack screams at her to stop, but it's not use; he fights against the darkness that is trying to consume him as ordered by the woman from the lab; she had control of him still, only slightly as she fixes the things Tooth fixed Jack from. Tooth finds the source of what is undoing her work, as she's been sensing it and destroys it beyond repair... Keeping the woman from accessing Jack again and goes back over her work again... Undoing all the blocks the woman had put up again... Jack whimpers and curls in one himself, mentally blocking himself from the memories. Tooth lets out a physical sigh as she works, not giving up on him. Going through all of those memories again and making sure that Jack knows who each of them are and not just recognizes them. Jack whines, eventually giving up, but blocking a couple that he really doesn't want to remember. Tooth shifts through even those, but seeing their nature and how bad they are... she leaves them blocked... which she does for some other rather brutal memories too. When she's done an hour later she stares at him in shock... Some of those memories... She never would have thought it of him... but then again... she understands that he did it because he had made a promise. At the same time... who would ever suspect it of him?

"Tooth? You okay mate?" Bunny asks, seeing the look on her face.

"Yeah... I just... there's some things no one should ever have to see... or do... and he's seen and done them. I don't think he'll ever tell us about them and I don't think he meant for us to know... but... maybe it's best to not know... I'm... going to need some time alone to think..." she flutters back to her palace to think over what she's seen. Jack wakes up, groaning; his mind is all fixed up but he is worried for Tooth and he looks about.

"J-jamie... My-mysterie..." He looks over at her in worry. Mysterie is still asleep, but Jamie's color is slightly off from normal; he opens one eye though, murmuring quietly.

"Hey... finally awake I see." 


	17. Fading Light

"J-jamie... are you okay?" Jack is worried when he notices the change in the light spirit. Delicately he stands up, using the wall to walk over to him and various tables and items that could support his weight.

"I feel okay... just rather tired." Bunny watches the two from the doorway, a grim look on his features... he didn't want to say anything... and the others already knew... they just didn't understand the why yet, or the cause. Jack gingerly sits in the chair next to Jamie's bed and gently moves his sweat soaked bangs back away from his eyes.

"Awww, I hope you didn't get sick." He says with some amusement, but worry in his features.

"Don't see how I could." Bunny clears his throat a little, wanting to get Jack's attention. Jack ignores him, only paying attention to Jamie as he threads his fingers through his hair like Jamie and Mysterie often did to him. Jamie closes his eyes with a sigh of contentment before he falls asleep in a few minutes.

"Jack." Bunny says in a low voice tinged with sadness. Jack listens carefully.

"Mate... can I talk to you a minute?" His arms are clasped being him, his ears down flat behind him. Jack nods.

"What's wrong with him Bunny?" Bunny leads Jack to the other side of the door, closing it behind him.

"That's just it mate... we... we don't know... At least... we don't know what's causing it... but.." Bunny hesitates, meeting his gaze sadly.

"I'm sorry mate... he's not gonna make it past the end of the month." The end of the month was two and a half weeks away. Jack's breath catches in his throat.

"What?" He stares at him.

"This is a joke... right? A joke... ha ha... very funny... SHUT THE FUCK UP! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS DYING?!" Jack's heart is breaking, his world crumbling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WON'T SURVIVE LONG!!" Jack grabs at his fur, wanting answers.

"Please, please... oh God..." He slips to the floor, tears streaming down his face like rivers. Bunny winces at the shout.

"Keep it down mate... he don't know... He's the only one we haven't told... Well... other than Mysterie, but she hasn't woken up just yet. I wish it were a joke... We don't know what's wrong with him... we've tried everything since he brought you two here... We don't get it anymore than you would."

 

 

"No... no... it can't happen... I can't let that happen! No... no!" He cries, Jack is a mess... broken... He doesn't want Jamie to die. What cruel fate is this? Jamie hadn't been a spirit all that long really, he'd been around... what... was it...a year... two? What did it matter... it was too soon. Far too soon. He was supposed to be with Jack... immortal spirits didn't just die like this... Bunny kneels next to Jack, wrapping his arms around him; he knew too well the keen loss of someone loved...

"I'm sorry mate... I really... truly am..." He knew there was no real comfort he could offer.

"I won't let this happen... th-there has to be another way." He all but cries out, sobbing. Bunny says nothing in reply to that, wishing that there was some way he could comfort Jack... but knowing too well that this kind of hurt can't really be comforted. While Jack sits in the hall with Bunny, Mysterie finally begins to stir from her sleep. Jack cries, and cries, and cries until he's nothing but a sniveling, hiccuping mess. He doesn't know how he can face Jamie again... he knows he'd just break down crying if he sees him again. Mysterie yawns as she hears a soft whisper... a familiar voice that is yet strange to her at the same time.

 **What would you do for him?** Mysterie sighs.

"Why ask when you know the answer already?" She mumbles out in reply as Jack falls asleep in Bunny's embrace, having cried himself to sleep; tears moist, covering Bunny in frost as the wind outside howls with his sorrow. Bunny sighs as he picks Jack up and tucks him into bed in his own room, meanwhile, Mysterie sits up grudgingly as she hears that voice again.

 **Even if it meant losing what you have worked so hard for? If it meant losing those memories you have made over the years?** She frowns up at the moon, its light shining on her.

"What are you talking about?" While the moon explains to her, Jack tosses and turns in his bed, his mind wandering; the dream turning into a nightmare of him and Jamie on a beach. Jack turns to speak to him only to see he's dead on the ground.

 _"J-jamie.. JAMIE!"_ Jack jumps next to him, trying to get him to wake up, but never does and Jack cries, and screams in his sleep. Despite being still a little tired, Mysterie listens to what Manny has to say and with a sigh she nods.

"Yeah... if it's the only way..." A giant moth appears in the room and she climbs aboard, once she's on securely it flutters out of the room towards the moon. Jack tosses and turns, trapped in the nightmare; screaming out and catching the lamp next to him on fire only to be put out by rain. Mysterie winces, as even from the distance she's at currently she can almost hear his pain... Jamie certainly can and stirs from his sleep, murmuring tiredly across the bond.

 _"Jack?"_ Jack freezes, but he's still in pain.

 _"Jamie."_ He calls out, begging him to come back. Jamie reaches out to embrace Jack over the bond, confused, but still holding firm. Jack whimpers, clutching onto the bond to Jamie; he wasn't going to let go.

 

 

Jamie holds onto him, whispering reassurances over the bond quietly. Jack whimpers, holding on tightly.

 _"Pl-please keep fighting Jamie."_ He cries over the bond. Jamie holds him tight over the bond, confusion rippling over it as well.

 _"What are you talking about? Wait... where'd Mysterie go?"_  

 _"I don't know Jamie!"_ Jack whines, worried for her now; it is all getting to be too much, he whimpers as he reverts back to his cutting tendencies. He whimpers... He was so clean... so clean until now... He'd managed to find a rusty blade and now three red streaks were across his arms as he slashes at his arms and his legs, he doesn't care how painful it is now. Concern from Jamie flares up suddenly.

 _"Jack no!"_ Jack starts to feel numb, to feel better... though he also feels really guilty and sorry... He drops the bloody blade and hugs his knees now, ignoring how the blood stains everything he's wearing and the bed sheets he's sitting on. Jamie is very worried for him, he can barely sense Mysterie now... only certain that she is alive as he's getting too weak to really be able to assert his will on the bond at such a distance, though he has no trouble with Jack, muttering over the bond.

 _"Gods Jack... don't... don't start that again..."_  Blood drips down his arms and the wounds slowly begin to get infected, but he doesn't care; maybe the infection alone would kill him.

 _"What's the difference from then and now?"_ Jack says, cutting small pieces off his skin, not really caring that Jamie can sense him cutting himself as he closes off the pain so as not to kill Jamie from any of the pain he feels now. Jamie feels sick, knowing that Jack is doing this again... and on purpose... it makes his stomach turn and only because of Jamie's mumbled words to a yeti does Sandy enter Jack's room with supplies to tend to his wounds, though he says nothing to Jack as he works and ignores any protests that Jack might offer. Jack ignores Sandy, sadness in him and mourning though he knows that Jamie isn't dead yet, but two and a half weeks isn't a long time... It feels like Jamie has lost all belief, just as Jack had... He gasps suddenly.

"BELIEF! THAT'S IT!" Jack jumps up as the other Guardian is wrapping his wounds only to fall backwards at Jack's burst.

"SORRY SANDY! GOT TO FIND THE KIDS! HELP THEM BELIEVE IN JAMIE AGAIN!" Sandy sighs a little and finishes his work quickly so Jack can take off, though he's not sure that Jack's idea will work... but they haven't tried it yet... So why not? It was at least better than having Jack here, falling back into old habits that he didn't need. Jack flies about to where a group of believers were that he knows believes in Jamie, hiding his new wounds from them with his sleeves and pant legs.

"Hey guys!" The group laughs in delight.

"JACK!" He is tackled by the little munchkins and he can't help but laugh at their enthusiasm. 

"Hey guys, look, I need you to believe in Jamie as hard as you can." One boy, who remembered Jamie calls.

"JAMIE! WHERE IS HE?!"  Jack gulps, afraid to tell Jamie's first believer that he is dying... 

"I need you to spread the word about him, okay? He's real sick and can't get better unless you believe." The others nod, unsure but then Jack decides to tell them stories about Jamie, starting with how he first met Jamie and little by little Jamie began to gain believers in the group. The children, eager to help, spread out throughout the town, going to any kid they see and telling them, even to kids they don't know, all about Jamie and how he needs their belief to get better.


	18. Twisted Cure

Jack smiles, hoping that this would work. Meanwhile, Mysterie stands before Manny on the moon; staring down at the dagger in her hands like it might bite her.

"I... I have to... Oh gods..." She swallows and looks back up at the small man before her who smiles back gently.

"You have already done it. You know you have." She nods and turns from him to the mirror before her with a golden frame... with a heavy heart she steps inside as if the glass isn't even there. Knowing that she had already done it didn't make it any easier to do... Jack looks about the town, there isn't one kid who doesn't believe in Jamie now in the entirety of Burgess. With a sigh he flies off to the pole to see if Jamie has improved or not. Jamie is asleep when Jack arrives

Father Time smiles at his new guest.

"Ah... come dear... I know just the mirror you need."

"W-will this really work? I mean... I know where I'm going but... to do this..." His blue eyes sparkle with sympathy.

"It's something that is offered freely, in a way. If you do not then things will change and the light spirit will lose his life. It's a road you must decide to take." Mysterie clenches the dagger close and nods, he points to a mirror that is her height; its frame is half black and half white. She steps through it without hesitation.

"I hope he comes to visit soon. I so do would like to just chat with him." Father Time mumbles to himself.

In the past, Mysterie arrives at a town she knows... She hasn't seen it for many years. The last time she was in this town she had been alive... She moves through the streets. She knew those teenagers, where to find them on this day and they were there... on the outskirts of the park while a younger version of herself sat with a younger Jack. The two quietly conversing.

"Hey, want to get revenge?" The boys start, but turn to her... only thanks to her displacement in time can she be seen though there is little doubt in her mind that she looks strange to them, dark silver robes covering her features.

"How? That damn spirit is protecting her." The leader spits out venomously.

"This will stop his power, temporarily. Just stick it in some snow." She holds out the dagger.

"Yeah? And what's it in for a hag like you?" 

"Nothing that concerns you.

 

 

The boys look at her in disgust, but one shrugs and takes the dagger from her; she turns from them and walks away, shuddering... She had just betrayed Jack... but if this is what it took... She had to make sure the boys didn't try anything stupid... So she sticks around a little longer, ducking out of sight behind a car as she watches her younger self head to the park nearby to play with Jack for a while before heading home as it gets dark and Jack had said he'd be back the next day and had taken flight... On a whim he glances over towards the car that she is hiding behind, but she keeps silent; her heart clenching as she knows what is about to happen... The boys emerge from their hiding spots while Jack is distracted with the strange spirit he'd not noticed before, but the movement of the boys catches his attention and one of the boys had stuck the dagger into the snow and they rush the girl. Laughing in malevolent glee as Jack is forced to land, unable to suddenly help his helpless new friend...

In the present, Jack feels his heart hear and all of the sudden he has a vision of the past with Mysterie, calling out.

"STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE!" He screams out in slight pain, he felt confused as why he would remember that of all things suddenly. He cries, curled up on the ground just outside the infirmary, as the vision fades from him he still thinks it's his fault... but there is a sense of difference in it that he waves away in his pain.

In the past, Mysterie watches in pain as Jack tries to run up to help... but he can't do a thing... The wind doesn't do a thing to help and the snow and ice stay where they have always been as the girl screams out in pain and crying for help though her vision of Jack is blocked by the boys pulling her out of sight. A man nearby notices the commotion from his house and dials for the police... the sound of sirens that fill the air sends the boys running; no one seems to notice her as she retrieves the dagger... not the past version of Jack... not the adults... or the young girl who clutches to half torn clothes as the cops usher her to a police car as she tells them in a choked voice what has just happened and who is responsible... It was never Jack's fault... Mysterie had been responsible... and until now she had never known it nor would she have ever guessed... She flees the scene quickly, staying out of Jack's line of sight; going back to the portal that waits for her. It isn't really a visible portal unless one knew what to look for... A slight distortion near a tree and it is gone once she steps through...

Jack gasps for air after a while, vomiting on the ground as the pain intensifies and the darkness in him is weakening him, wearing him down and trying to take over; it is getting hard to control.

"H-heel!" It snarls at him.

 **"Just give in."**  

 _HEEL!_ Mysterie says quite clearly and sternly over the bond. Jack gasps and the darkness yelps, hiding behind Jack's light in fear of Mysterie. She shudders, falling to her knees in front of the mirror she'd just come from; barely taking note of Father Time who takes the dagger from her.

"I... I did it..." She manages to say as tears slip from her and land on the ground as she falls over to her hands; just trying to reconcile what she had just done...

"Rest here a bit child. Then go to him. You have what you need." She nods a little. Jack sits up where he's at.

 

 

"What happened?" He looks around in confusion before flying off towards Colorado. Time passes differently in the Time Palace... Mysterie spends a full week with Father Time... while outside it she's only been gone for two days. Sighing, though better than she had been... She takes the mirror that Father Time had told her would lead her to Mother Nature's place. No one is about when she steps out the other end and she quickly heads off to the North Pole, hiding her guilt in her heart as much as she can for the time being to keep it from touching the bond. While Mysterie was gone, Jack was spinning out of control with his emotions and powers, so he had gone to Mother Nature for help. He didn't dare ask Jamie, he couldn't even go visit him; just the thought of him was... well, it was part of the reason that he was at the Nature Palace as it was. Nothing he'd tried had really worked. Mysterie re-materializes at Jamie's side, she gently presses one hand to his, watching as his breathing evens to normal and color slowly seeps back inside. Guilt is eating at her as she retreats from him back into sand and head for the ice castle; for the moment she simply couldn't face him... What was she going to say? Jack breathes heavily as Mother Nature tells him to focus, but so far Jack has failed meditation every time and every kind.

"I can't stay still! I can't find peace!" He stands, lighting some grass on fire. Mother Nature puts the fire out.

"I imagine it's because he isn't here... You can't find it without him present. Besides... seems my old friend has informed me you should be with him anyway before he starts wondering where everyone went... more or less." Jack nods, he really hopes Jamie is okay. Lightning the grass on fire again with his nervous emotions.

"Go to him, you're not doing any good here." She says, putting out the fire again. Jack sighs, fear overriding his emotions and he lights the whole area in black fire as the darkness all but blows a raspberry at Mother Nature before Jack leaves. She just shakes her head, putting the fire out again before looking up at the moon.

"You just had to raise him to be childish didn't you?" The moon glowed in a silent answer like 'it's how he is.' Jack flies off towards the pole, wanting nothing more than to see Jamie, his fear is overwhelming him; he had to stop to make the darkness heel again. Mother Nature chuckles, shaking her head at the moon. At the pole, Jamie is up and walking around, wondering where Jack had gone. Poking at the bond though he seems to get nothing from Mysterie's end so he pokes at Jack's end... yet again... Jack gasps at the poke and flies through the open window, all but tackling Jamie who is walking through a hallway.

"JAMIE!" Jack hugs him close to him as he kiss him and mumbles how he missed him, talking a mile a minute about how he almost died and how lost Jack, himself, had been without him and where's Mysterie? Jamie laughs happily when Jack tackles him.

"Hi..." It's all he manages before Jack kisses him and then mumbles through everything; he frowns thoughtfully at the information.

"Ah.. well... that explains everyone's reactions this morning... umm... I think she's at the ice castle... I donno, she hasn't really responded to me all day." 


	19. Not Out of the Woods

"I figured as much." Jack looks at Jamie's beautiful brown eyes and thinks. _Gosh he's handsome..._   Jack kisses him again, a deep loving, passionate kiss; he says in between the kisses.

"Maybe - mm - we  -mmm- should find Mysterie after this." He says as he rubs Jamie's back and presses against him to lightly tease him. Jamie agrees whole heartily between the kisses, teasing Jack back as he carries him from the library into a nearby bedroom... thinking that North would thank him later for that forethought... Jack nuzzles Jamie's neck, nipping and licking his ear; as he nips and digs his nails into Jamie's back - they needed clipped still sharp as wolves nails and teeth just as sharp - he ignore Jamie's winces, making his love bites on him. Jamie whimpers, there's a sort of strange pleasure he gets off Jack's wilder side... he tumbles back onto the bed, skimming his nails along Jack's sides. pressing against Jack, eager from his teasing. Jack gasps and snarls in warning to stay still as he all but licks his neck, digging his nails into Jamie's back as he rids him of his pants then of his own clothing, rubbing their tips together a little bit. Jamie whimpers, unable to keep from arching a little beneath Jack though he's otherwise still. Jack bit into Jamie's neck, scratching down his back until a finger pokes into his anal hole; Jack's tip still rubbing against Jamie's. Jamie squirms, shifting to spread his legs to make it easier, groaning from the pleasure that spikes through him. He curves his finger, scratching deeply along his back as he pushes in deeper and deeper before slowly pulling out adding a second finger to tickle the walls; he kisses, thrusting his tongue into Jamie's mouth. Jamie arches, groaning and whimpering into the kiss. Jack wraps his tongue around Jamie's, kissing him deeply as his wild side was taking over; he roughly shoved four fingers into Jamie, squirming each finger until he found the spot and scratched at the walls. Jamie presses up against Jack; shuddering as pleasure and pain mingle and he knows nothing but Jack and that pleasure as his body quivers, adjusting after a moment and the pain disappears, over ridden by pleasure. Jack plunges in deeper, past the spot; growling as his wrist was in Jamie, he bites his neck, not letting go until he deemed the bite worthy. Jack growls in his throat as he uses his other hand to stroke Jamie at a slow pace, but a teasing one when he sticks a nail in the slit gently. Jamie shudders, body quivering in a mix of pain and pleasure as he stutters.

"J-Jack...." He arches all the more, silently begging for more. Jack smiles, sliding his fingers in deeper into the spot before stroking it repeatedly, using his second finger to curve into the walls and smiling as he replaces the hand on Jamie's length with his mouth as he take him in gently. Jamie gasps out at the coolness of Jack's mouth wrapping around him and he stutters.

"G-gods... J-j-jack..." Jack sucks gently, wrapping his tongue around it and tonguing the slit. Unable to help it, he thrusts up a little, whimpering and groaning wantonly. Jack swallows thickly, taking him in; licking under his length to the balls. He quivers, moaning and groaning, arching beneath Jack's teasing; shuddering as he could feel the pleasure building. Jack licked under his balls repeatedly, knowing how that felt when Jamie had taken him in. He pulls his fingers out knowing that Jamie is stretched; he smiles as he grazes Jamie's length with sharp teeth, which puncture slightly as he tweaks one of Jamie's nipples. Jamie cries out from the pleasure, whimpering all the more.  
"Jack!" Jack licks and licks, pushing him to release as he sucks, grazing with his teeth and tweaking at Jamie's nipples. Jamie arches, unable to take the pleasure of the sucking and cries out as the pleasure slams into him and he releases suddenly; his body quivering from the pleasure of it. Jack takes it all, suckling up every drop greedily before letting go, he wipes away the cum from his face and nuzzles against a quivering Jamie. Jamie nuzzles back, gasping a little for air still as the pleasure laps at him still like waves at a beach though it's slowly fading away.  
"I don't think I have words for that..." He manages after a while. Jack smiles.

"Well, maybe it was pleasurable." He says, licking at Jamie's face when he spots a patch of dirt. Jamie flushes a little, but smiles too.

 

 

Jack smiles.

"I think its time I went and spoke with Mysterie." Jack says, pulling from the bed and looking for his clothes. Jamie nods, rolling over to find his own. Jack groans.

"Jamie... I think I lost my pants!" Jack didn't see them anywhere. Jamie looks around, not seeing them either.  
  
"Ah geez.... well..." He walks over to the wardrobe to one side and rummages through it, finding a pair of khaki shorts and some blue jeans... but that's about it that's modern... the rest he didn't want to even think about. he tosses both on the bed.  
  
"North told me once he stocked the rooms with such things... but that's all I can find that doesn't look like it came from the medieval period." Jack sighs and puts on the blue jeans.

"HOW DO YOU PEOPLE WEAR SUCH TIGHT CLOTHES!" He looks at them, feeling like his insides were squished; he starts out the window to the castle but not before flying back in and licking the dirt off Jamie's face and neck and then flies outside calling back.

"IT ANNOYS ME WHEN YOU'RE DIRTY!" Jamie chuckles, calling back.  
  
"I'll just have to take a shower then... I guess I'm overdue!"  He goes to the nearest bathroom to do just that. Jack smiles, determined to talk to Mysterie; as he nears the castle he flies so that he slips into the upper tower, sensing she was there.

"Mysterie?" There's a feeling in the bond... almost like a wince... but not quite... but it also means she heard him. Not to mention she'd noticed him coming since she'd been staring out the window. With a quiet sight for the inevitable, she retreat from the window and simply waits. Jack sighs as he floats in, wondering why it is so dark; he makes a ball of light to brighten the room.

"Mysterie what's wrong?" Jack look at her with love and concern. She sighs inwardly.... how was she going to do this?  
  
"I just... that day when you couldn't help me... it wasn't your fault... It was mine the whole time.... that dagger... I-i... " She swallows a little before continuing quietly.  
  
"I gave it to them... to those boys..." Jack looks at her, confused.

"W-what are you talking about? You were a little girl then, I doubt you'd do that to yourself and me." He looks at her like she was being crazy, a little bit, but he floats over, taking her in his arms.

"It's ok." She sucks in a breath before going on, trembling a little.  
  
"No... I mean... a couple of days ago.... I visited Father Time... t-the dagger... it belonged to Manny..."

 

 

Jack's eyes went wide.

"Y-you what?" He looks at her in shock but shock turns to slight understanding and all he does is hug her.

"Shh, don't cry its not your fault... don't blame yourself." She can't stop the tears that silently fall.  
  
"I'm so sorry... I... it is my f-fault... I knew what would happen! I... I ... just... the sp-spell... d-demanded it..." Jack tightens his hold on her, sending love and affection over the bond.

"Shh, shh. It's ok, I don't blame you Mysterie; I love you, please know that. You did it for a good reason." Jack kisses away her tears. Mysterie shudders though, it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do... She couldn't just shake the guilt... Jack hugs her and keeps her close to him. He moves them to a room with a bed and settles them onto the bed, shifting so she lay on his stomach, he on his back as he pets her hair. Telling her it was ok. She nuzzles against him, quietly crying until there are no more tears.... wondering how it could ever be okay... She had betrayed Jack... how could that ever be okay? Jack can sense her thoughts.

"You haven't betrayed me, you did what you had to do ok? Stop blaming yourself." He looks at her, love and compassion in his gaze. She trembles... trying not to think of all the things that could have gone wrong just because of that one act... They hadn't of course... but she couldn't help it... if just one of those boys had believed again... they could have hurt Jack... and she couldn't just forgive herself for that... Of course they hadn't and it had played out as before... but still... Jack kisses her deeply, trying to do something.... anything to fix her hurts. She returns the kiss gently, sighing a little; relaxing even though it doesn't really mend anything... it distracts her for the moment. Jack smiles at her.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He held her hand, the one with the ring on it, and thought... how many days 'til the wedding? She smiles slightly.  
  
"I don't think so... but I kinda get the impression it's a whole lot." Jack smiles.

"Let's go back to the pole." Jack nips at her ear, love biting her. She sighs a little.  
  
"Alright." Jack takes her hand in his and flies the two of them back to the pole. Meanwhile....

"Track them down and bring them to me." Said the woman who stroked a black panther.

"I will not let them get away that easily."


	20. Final Preparations

Mysterie smiles a little, flying next to Jack happily. It was only a few more days before the wedding and almost everything was ready. Bunny had all the wards set up to keep out any and every living thing that wasn't invited. North had sent the invitations out, only by having one could a guest get within 50 miles of the place and it only lasted for 32 hours at most while the spells were set for 72, once activated. Tooth had handled the decoration. All that was left was figuring out things for the two grooms and the bride to wear. Jack laughs as he spins her around in the air, talking about the latest snow days he'd created and how he'd got more kids to believe in Jamie. She grins, listening happily as they arrive in the globe room. Tooth flutters over, tugging her hand.    
"Come on, we still need some last minute preparations..." Bunny grins, ushering Jack away while Sandy is dealing with Jamie, separating the three of them into different rooms. Jack was like 'why did **I**  get the kangaroo for this' as he follows close. Ushering Jack into the room, North grins at him, showing a hanging cart with varying suits tailored to his size. Mysterie giggles a little as she tries on varying dresses while Jamie picks through some suits with Sandy. 

"No way. I am not wearing a suit!" Jack protests.

"Don't be stubborn. Just for few hours for ceremony. Plus, ve thought you want something special. Made for comfort." North says as he discards most of the ideas, picking out a set; it was a pale blue with a not quite white long sleeved shirt with a vest over it instead of a jacket, the vest was a darker shade of blue.  
  
"Maybe zis, da?" Jack looks at it, interest peaking; he smiles and takes it, going into the bathroom and changing into it. The two wait, a full length mirror having been put in the room just for this so that when Jack came back out he could see himself. Each room had such a mirror in it. Jamie frowns thoughtfully over his choices, trying on a second, not really liking his first choice all that much... Mysterie's having a lot of fun with Tooth and her fairies as they coo over each dress, but so far she hasn't made a choice though she has gone through six... three she's rejected and the other three she's not sure about as she tries on a seventh... Jack wasn't sure about this... but he walks out, turning a bit as he looks into the mirror. 

"I think that one suits ya mate." Bunny smiles a little, North nods.  
  
"Da... is good comfort fit too no?" Jack smiles.

"Very comfortable."

"You like? Have other too." North motions towards a couple other that are similar in style, but varying colors. one is white, one black, one is even a royal blue, the shirts lighter colors than the vests and pants that went with them. Jack smiles, looking at them and settles on the blue with a white vest.

"Ah... good zen... I hold for you." North makes a separate spot on the hanging cart for Jack's choice. Jack smiles and thinks about how Mysterie and Jamie are doing. Jamie picks one out finally, but Mysterie's having a harder time choosing. Jamie moves out of the room while Sandy sees to his choice. He goes to the lounge room to settle in and relax. Jack wonders. _What to do now?_

"So... um, how are you guys? I know I haven't visited in a while."

"Busy, Mate. Tooth is like a commander with this wedding thing. This was the last detail though." Bunny says, hopping out the door towards the lounge while North fiddles with the suit to make sure it's perfect.

 

 

Jack nods.

"Ouch... easy North." He was fixing and tightening a black tie since Tooth said Jack had to wear one.

"Sorry.... iz perfect..." He smiles, satisfied.  
  
"Okay, can change out now. I make sure iz ready for you on big day." Jack nods, grumbling about the tie, but he goes to the bathroom and changes out. North just chuckles, aware Jack probably won't be grumbling on that day 'cuz he'll be too worried about other things... in the other room Mysterie finally makes a decision and Tooth takes care of the dress after she's changed out of it. Jack flies about, finally free. Unaware that there was to be a party before the wedding. Mysterie joins Jamie in the lounge; Jack flies about for a minute, just making it a shine brightly a little before he joins them in the lounge. Mysterie smiles when Jack joins them, sipping at some eggnog. Jamie is talking about choices for a bouquet. Jack smiles.

"PEEPS THERE HAS TO BE PEEPS! You know... those marshmallow chick things." Jack says, begging Bunny to bring his peeps. Bunny raises an eyebrow at Jack but chuckles.

"Alright mate... I'll bring some. Any particular color or flavor?" Mysterie tries not to choke on her eggnog from chuckling at Jack; Jamie just grins.

"Meep..." Jack looks at Bunny and whispers in his ear 'the blueberry chocolate one.' Bunny nods with a smile.  
  
"Alright." Jack sit next to them both, cowering from their looks. They simply send amusement over the bond, not really caring at the request... though Jamie has a bit of curiosity on his end. Jack felt tired all of a sudden like something was beckoning him to sleep; he falls off the couch, asleep. An hour later they all retire to bed, Jamie carries Jack off to his. Jack is light as a feather in his sleep, in his subconscious it was pitch black dark and misty.

"Hello?" He called out, nothing. No light, no answer, nothing... just empty darkness. Jamie tucks Jack in, but frowns slightly... nothing seemed wrong... but something was nagging at him... it wasn't bad really... just something that told him to stay close and so he did. Jack calls out, it was dark and he hated the dark.

"Come Jack. Come back to us." The voice was feminine that's for sure. He whines.

"Who are you?" His breathing was slightly uneven as his fear grows in his sleep. Jamie frowns thoughtfully... something felt... off... He delves into the dream, surprised at how dark it is... literally... not so much in content though. He calls out softly, wondering where Jack is in all this...

"Jack?"

 

 

Jack is looking around for the voice when he hears Jamie's voice.

"J-JAMIE WHERE ARE YOU?!" He calls out only to feel weakened.

"Fall asleep Jack you'll feel better soon." Jack groans, feeling the darkness coming through.

"J-Jamie..." Jack couldn't stop it... it wouldn't heel, it was like some force was pulling it out and into control. Jamie follows the sensation, the feeling of darkness causes his light to flare instinctively as well as call out to Mysterie in case this becomes too much for him... He finds Jack and wraps his arms around him protectively, glaring into the darkness. It hisses at Jamie.

 **"He's mine."** Jack gasps, holding his heart; it was hurting and it feels like he is having a heart attack as the darkness slithered towards him. Jamie flares light at it, growling. The light is soon joined by Mysterie's and she snarls back.  
  
"He's OURS... back off... unless you want to know what we can really do... This plane is MY domain..." It all but growls at her as a response.

 **"You won't be able to protect him forever and you know it. After all you betrayed him with that dagger."** It laughs darkly before receding into Jack's mind. Mysterie winces, but she doesn't back down. Jamie glances over at her, not understanding... what did it mean? Jack coughs, breathing heavily as he feels it recede into its hole, all but laughing like a hyena. Jack shivers. Jamie considered asking her the next day. For now the two of them simply resolve to guard Jack's dreams. Jack wakes up the next morning, tears in his eyes as all night the darkness had taunted him about Mysterie and her betrayal; he almost went nuts from it. Each time it came they drove it away but it hurt Mysterie each time it returned to taunt. Like a knife being twisted. At the end of the night it was yelping from the twist of light and darkness she'd used to torture it with before it slithered away again. Jamie gently wipes away Jack's tears when he wakes up. He doesn't have to ask. Thanks to the darkness he knew and he was furious with it for torturing the both of them. Mysterie spends most the day in meditation. Jack hugs her close, petting her head.

"I don't blame you. Oh God I hate this thing, I can't tame it anymore!" Mysterie sighs.

"Soon you'll get it. It takes time. Like meditation." Jack sighs and meditates next to her, wincing slightly as he can't find his inner peace. Mysterie is struggling just as much as Jack is. Jack whines as the whispers return, he breathes heavily; shaking slightly.

"Find peace." He repeats it.

"Find peace... heel.. heel.. find peace... heel... HEEL!" Jack screams out. Mysterie sighs and lightly touches Jack's shoulder, aware of the problem.

"Things will be harder until we reconcile this... I might have done what I did because I love you but that doesn't mean I won't still feel guilt for a while.... I would never purposely do something like that unless it was in your best interest. I know you know it but feeling and knowing can be two different things." Jack shivers as the darkness heeled after he screams and attacks it with fire, but it still whispers and begs him. Mysterie sends a shot of white fire at the darkness. A fire hotter than normal as she snarls over the bond.

 _"Silence."_  It yelps and whimpers, going back into the dark hole as it all but whispers.

**"It's not my fault I'm being ordered to do this... not my fault."**


End file.
